Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1
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 Like nobody saw this coming miles away. | |||||||||||||
| "Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1" | |||||||||||||
| Production code | #700-36 | ||||||||||||
| Production company | Sunbow Productions | ||||||||||||
| Airdate | October 21, 1985 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Earl Kress | ||||||||||||
| Animation studio | Toei | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Generation 1 cartoon continuity | ||||||||||||
The Dinobots abandon the Autobots as both the Autobots and Decepticons begin to suffer malfunctions.
Synopsis
At a laboratory, Optimus Prime and the Autobots are being shown a new drone fighter by a human professor. However, Megatron is out to steal the fighter's blueprints from the laboratory. Soundwave and Ravage, who are inside Ironhide, provide a distraction, while Starscream destroys the drone. Prime orders the Autobots to inspect the wreckage for any clues. Shortly after this, the Decepticons attack the lab, but the Autobots arrive and are able to send them packing.
After some fun at the Fun A Rama Park, Spike Witwicky, Carly, and Bumblebee go to pick Sparkplug up at the airport. While there, they discover a Decepticon base in an airplane hangar. Bumblebee calls Prime for reinforcements, but the Autobots with Prime are too far away. Contacting the Autobot base, Wheeljack sends the Dinobots to assist. The Dinobots quickly trash the Decepticons. In retaliation, Megatron orders the Decepticons to blast the planes, causing a massive explosion that damages the Dinobots and allows the Decepticons to retreat. Hoist, Red Alert, and Inferno arrive to put out the fires and take the Dinobots back to base. Ratchet and Wheeljack begin repairs on the Dinobots, while the other Autobots rebuild the airport.
Meanwhile, the Decepticons are flying through the air back to their base. All of a sudden, Ravage ejects from Soundwave, transforms and lands on the ground below. Megatron demands an explanation, but Soundwave says that Ravage initiated the ejection without a reason. Soon, however, the Decepticons fall from the sky, and Rumble begins attacking Megatron, though he doesn't know why and he can't stop himself. Megatron flicks him away and concludes that they are suffering from bad energon. The group heads off to get some new cubes from a powerplant to refuel themselves.
At the Autobot base, the Dinobots are repaired, and Prime, still rebuilding the airport, tries to send them to stop the Decepticons. Grimlock angrily refuses, saying he's tired of taking the Autobot leader's orders and saving the Autobots whenever they need help. The Dinobots leave the base, intending to fight whenever they want to. At the power plant, the Autobots arrive to stop the Decepticons, but both factions begin to suffer from debilitating malfunctions. After an indecisive battle, Megatron orders the Decepticons to retreat.
Back at the base, the Autobots are suffering power failures now, as well as other problems (Wheeljack can't move, Jazz's legs are stuck in alternate mode, and Powerglide is holding his own severed head!). Perceptor concludes that they are suffering from Cybertonium depletion. However, Cybertonium only exists on Cybertron. Fortunately, Shockwave is sending a shipment over the space bridge, but the Autobots are in no condition to retrieve it themselves. Sparkplug, Spike, and Carly decide to track down the Dinobots.
As the three look for the Dinobots, they find that they have been discovered by the Dinobots. Grimlock is less than pleased to have been followed by the humans, and decides to crush them. Sparkplug lays it on thick when he says they need the Dinobots' "brilliant help." Swoop, however, saves the humans from getting smushed because he wants to hear about the "brilliant" part. Sparkplug explains the situation, but Grimlock doesn't care. However, when Spike mentions Cybertonium, Grimlock realizes the Cybertron connection, and decides to help (despite Slag's refusal and Sludge's confusion). The Dinobots attack the Constructicons, who are retrieving the Cybertonium, but the Dinobots simply get into the space bridge and head for Cybertron. Shockwave attempts to stop them. Guess what happens.
At the Autobot base, Sparkplug contacts Grimlock, who refuses to return and help the "bossy Autobots". Carly resolves that she and Spike must head for Cybertron themselves. Prime attempts to stop them, but finally succumbs to the effects of Cybertonium depletion. Sparkplug stays to man Teletraan I to help the kids. Spike and Carly manage to drive past Devastator using Carly's car, but Shockwave is waiting for the two humans on the other side.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"I'll be through in no time!"
"You're through NOW, Megatron!"
- -Megatron, surprised by Optimus while piercing through a vault.
Wheeljack: Dinobots, we got a job for you.
Grimlock: Me Grimlock no like orders.
Slag: Me Slag no like anything.
Wheeljack: We really need your help. Why won't you give us a hand?
Grimlock: Me don't know why not. So we help. This time.
Wheeljack: I've got to work on their personality circuits.
- —Wheeljack learns that even the Dinobots don't know why they have a bad attitude.
"So much for your secret hideout, Megatron; even the moronic Dinobots found it!"
- —Starscream as the Dinobots attack the Decepticons' airbase.
"I warned you guys there was trouble!"
"You always say there's trouble, Red."
- —Red Alert and Hoist
"It's the Aurobrroughs... THE AURRROOBBRRURURRUGHRRR!!!!"
"Too bad! He's blown his vocal components. I guess that makes me the new leader!"
- — with Megatron suffering the effects of Cybertonium depletion, Starscream makes his most ridiculous bid for leadership to date
"Hey, I'm stuck! I can't transform! [Ironhide kicks him; Jazz transforms] OW! Thanks...I think."
- —Jazz
Sparkplug: The Autobots are dying, and only you can save them.
Grimlock: No care about Autobots! Me Grimlock Dinobot!
Spike: If you don't help, the Decepticons will get all the Cybertonium they need.
Grimlock: Cybertonium? Cybertron! Okay, us do it!
Slag: No! Us no want to.
Sludge: What he say?
Grimlock: Me Grimlock. Me leader! Me say us do it!
- —Grimlock's unassailable logic convinces the Dinobots.
"Stowaways?! Stand back!"
"WE NO STAND BACK!"
- —Shockwave and Grimlock, right before the Dinobots kick Shockwave's diodes.
Notes
Animation or technical errors
- Despite the variety of engine sound effects, the experimental plane is just flying in a straight line in the first shot.
- Coloring errors:
- Blaster's forehead is red (like the rest of his helmet) instead of white as Optimus gives the order to roll out.
- Starscream's face is white instead of medium gray as he enters the lab facility.
- Slag's face and head are gray instead of red as he says his "no like anything" line.
- The top of Starscream's cockpit cowling is yellow instead of gray as he scolds Megatron for retreating.
- Blitzwing's head is purple instead of yellow just before he transforms to attack Bumblebee.
- And again after he falls out of the sky.
- And again as Soundwave ejects Ravage at the power plant.
- And again as the Decepticons try to retreat from the power plant. Was this an alternate color scheme or something?
- And again as Soundwave ejects Ravage at the power plant.
- And again after he falls out of the sky.
- Thundercracker is miscolored as Starscream when Swoop attacks him.
- Slag's head guards are white instead of red as he agrees with Grimlock's refusal of orders. (Should they be white? Yes, yes, no!)
- The energon cubes at the power plant are semi-glowing in a strange purple color, rather than the usual bright pink.
- Jazz is colored as Red Alert when the other Autobots transform at the power station.
- Megatron's gun mode is entirely white when Starscream is about to shoot Optimus.
- Red Alert has white tires on his shoulders in the first pan of the disabled Autobots at Autobot Headquarters.
- As Wheeljack says that Cybertonium is only found on Cybertron, his whole helmet is light gray instead of dark gray, rather than just his three "fins".
- Mirage's transformation is somewhat "cheated", as he simply melds into car mode instead of turning around at the waist like he is supposed to.
- Superhuman humans:
- The scientist that Starscream tosses aside gets up and runs away, despite having been thrown a good 15 or 20 feet to the floor.
- Blaster's arm phases through Mirage's box-of-turning-invisible. While not physically impossible, he appears to be standing far enough in front of Mirage that the box should be behind him.
- After grabbing Megatron's cannon, Mirage reappears without his customary energy sound effect.
- The merry-go-round at the fair features horses that are suspended from the roof, rather than attached to floor-to-ceiling posts like a real carousel.
- The outside of the airport, where Bumblebee discharges his passengers and transforms, is completely deserted. They seem to have wandered into the loading docks or something.
- Snarl appears to tear the entire hangar door apart, but after he moves past the "camera", we see that half the door is still intact.
- As Slag tears though the hangar door, by rights his hind end should be visible through the hole Snarl just made, but it only magically becomes visible as he walks through the hole he made.
- Megatron's audio appears to drop out for a second or two as he tosses Rumble aside; he says "Get... ...fool!" with timing that would be just right for the more explicable "Get off me, fool!"
- Spike and Sparkplug have teeny tiny pupils throughout this episode.
- Spike, Carly and Sparkplug are inside the terminal when Megatron gets thrown into it. A second later, they're back on the flightline with the Dinobots.
- The sound crew missed the part where Hoist is towing the derelict airliner carrying the Dinobots; they applied what sounds like an idling jet engine noise over the scene.
- The building that Powerglide and Ironhide construct changes shape between shots, and doesn't appear to have any doors or windows. There's also a parked airplane practically on top of the foundation before they start laying bricks. Ironhide's method of brick-laying fails to put any mortar into the vertical brick joints. The bricks also go from regular bricks to concrete blocks between shots.
- Megatron's Decepticon symbol is missing after he bashes Rumble aside in the desert.
- Prime clips through the concrete fence at the power plant as the Autobots arrive to stop the Decepticons.
- Wheeljack is missing the little windshield line on the top/side of his chest as Prime answers Ironhide's question about what is happening to them. It's missing again as Sparkplug repairs him in the next scene.
- Scrapper's vehicle mode bends like rubber as he backs away from the Dinobots.
- Scrapper has two eyes instead of his usual single visor as he turns to track Swoop.
- Long Haul's portion of Devastator is shown plopping into place... long after both he and Hook (who forms the part that comes after Long Haul) have already driven up and transformed.
- When the Dinobots first appear on Cybertron, Shockwave has both his hands. In the next scene, however, his left hand blaster is there. He was last seen with two hands back in "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1".
- Improbable viewpoints:
- Teletraan I kindly provides Sparkplug with a view of Grimlock inside Decepticon Headquarters on Cybertron!
- So... the sound guys have never seen a car before? They don't know what a car does? 'Cause they put in a flight sound effect as Carly's car vaults over Devastator's foot and into the space bridge ring.
- The animation of Shockwave reacting to and turning toward the space bridge elevator is recycled when Spike and Carly arrive. Not an explicit error by itself, but it creates a continuity disjoint with the next shot, as Shockwave abruptly goes from empty-handed to holding a blaster.
- There's nothing in the space bridge elevator when Shockwave blasts it.
Continuity errors
- The opening scene is bizarre. Soundwave is sitting in Ironhide's cargo compartment. Ironhide somehow failed to notice Soundwave climbing into him, and continues to fail to notice him sitting there. Blaster somehow fails to notice Soundwave sitting right in front of him. Of particular note, in "Heavy Metal War" Ironhide is apparently able to detect the Decepticons by himself, without relying on Teletraan I.
- Considering the ultra plane was in full view of the Autobots and Dr. Green the whole time, how did none of them see Starscream flying over the fighter and dropping a bomb on top of it?
- We never do find out where Sparkplug is coming home from or what he was doing there in his snazzy blue suit.
- Bumblebee and Spike apparently just wander onto the airport's flightline, unquestioned, to investigate the Decepticon hangar.
- Superhumans Spike, Carly, and Sparkplug:
- Neither Spike nor Carly and Sparkplug are harmed by Megatron flying through a huge plate glass window right in front of them. (As noted above, they shouldn't even be there.)
- On a related note, though Bumblebee and the three humans are standing right next to the Dinobots, none of them are harmed by the planes exploding, while the Dinobots get blown to kingdom come.
- The Autobots lament having to repair the Dinobots using only tools available to them on Earth, despite having easily built them on Earth with those same tools.
- For some reason, Blitzwing blasting Jazz in the side causes a huge crevasse to open up beneath Jazz.
- The space bridge must have been seriously fine-tuned since its first appearance. The Dinobots make the trip just fine, despite appearing to flail about randomly as they make the trip. Even an Earthly automobile makes it through (and its human passengers survive, which means the space bridge portal has a pressurized atmosphere). Previously, an unpiloted test vehicle vanished into the ether because it lacked guidance.
- Shockwave blasts the elevator door as Spike and Carly arrive on Cybertron, creating a huge explosion. They are only saved by power of retcon, as the next episode decides that the immediate firing and huge explosion simply didn't happen.
- Why exactly was Devastator just standing guard at the Space Bridge which was still clearly full of rocks instead of the Constructicons trying to clear it?
Kid Rhino release
- On the Kid Rhino DVDs, the visuals drop out completely for a second or so, replaced by a black screen, after Blaster's fight with Ravage. This error is also on the Madman Region 4 DVD.
Continuity notes
- This episode throws some confusion on the origin of the newer second-season characters such as Perceptor, Blaster, Blitzwing, etc. Previously it could be assumed they had simply arrived from Cybertron or some other planet. But the fact that their Cybertonium deteriorates in exact sync with the earlier characters suggests that they were also aboard the Ark and went through the same four million year slumber as the 1984 characters. Why we didn't see any of them for the first year is therefore a bit of a mystery within the context of the stories.
- The Dinobots' discontent was previously hinted at in "Atlantis, Arise!" and "Day of the Machines". They seemed much happier in the later two-parter "Dinobot Island".
- Apparently the Dinobots just stand around in their own little cubby hole in the Ark, waiting patiently for someone to open the door and talk to them. This is strangely placid of them, but well-established by the time of this episode.
- Gadgets and powers:
- To prepare the viewer for the forthcoming mechanical failures of the Autobots, several of them use their stock powers, such as Jazz's sound and light show and Mirage's invisibility.
- To inspect the vault door, Soundwave retracts his hand and brings forth a three-pronged wirey sensor thing. It's only slightly creepy.
- Carly switches off Bumblebee's equilibrium circuits by pressing a button inside his chest armor (which sure pops open easily. Bee had better hope the Decepticons don't find out about that feature.)
- Bumblebee uses a wrist communicator to radio Optimus. Though a common device for both sides, this one looks different than the more rectangular ones Bumblebee has used in the past—spheroid and with a little antenna on top.
- Inferno fires fire-retardant foam (or something like it) from a nozzle that emerges from a hatch on his cab (even though Inferno already sports several visible nozzles designed to serve the same purpose.)
- The deterioration of the Transformers' cybertonium leads to a series of mechanical failures:
- Grapple loses his fine motor control.
- Soundwave spontaneously ejects Ravage.
- The Decepticons lose their flight abilities.
- Rumble can't stop himself from attacking Megatron with his piledrivers.
- Jazz can't transform, requiring a kick from Ironhide to do so.
- Megatron's vocal components malfunction.
- Starscream cannot stay airborne in plane mode.
- Ironhide's hand won't retract to fire his liquid nitrogen.
- Mirage only becomes black and white instead of invisible.
- Ravage unwillingly transforms back into cassette mode mid-battle.
- Jazz's sound and light show is reduced to a quiet static white noise.
- Blitzwing can't stop his own forward motion in tank mode.
- Wheeljack's joints are non-functional, rendering him immobile.
- Optimus Prime is very weak, barely able to stand.
- Perceptor is trapped in his microscope mode, with his arms being the only moving limbs.
- Jazz winds up with his legs stuck in car mode.
- Powerglide's head... falls off??
- The Constructicons appear to be functioning perfectly well in this episode. What this says about their origin controversy is unknown.
- The effect used for the vortex of interdimensional space as the Dinobots travel to Cybertron is nigh-identical to the time warps from "Dinobot Island" Parts 1 and 2—a glowing green central light surrounding by swirling blue and purple energy punctuated with flashes of white light.
- We get treated to the one-time appearance of a uniquely designed Transformer on Cybertron. He's medium brown and appears to have Snarl's dinosaur tail halves on his back; he transforms to a purple flying saucer-like thing.
- In the final scene, Shockwave fires a gun that looks exactly like his own alternate mode. This may be a distorted reference to his bio from the show's production bible, which states that he can create duplicates of himself. Given that he's also shown with two hands at one point, however, this may more likely be a stroke of stupidity on the part of the animators.
- This episode establishes that the Dinobots are better-armored in their beast modes.
- < < What makes Starscream the leader? Megatron's blown his vocal components! > >
Real world references
- EJK, the facility where all the information on the Ultraplane is stored, is named for episode writer Earl J. Kress.
- This episode contains enough Star Wars sound effects to make you think you're watching events in a galaxy far, far away:
- The opening shots of the experimental jet are soundtracked with diving X-Wings and the TIE Fighter engine roar.
- After exiting Ironhide's cargo compartment, Soundwave launches with the Millennium Falcon engine burst.
- Some Falcon ambient engine noise (flying over the surface of Yavin IV) is heard as Starscream flies toward the ultra plane.
- The ultra plane explosion is soundtracked with the Death Star firing sequence noise.
- Falcon engine burst as Megatron retreats from the lab.
- Death Star firing/Alderaan exploding again, as Thundercracker and Thrust take off to attack the Dinobots, followed by more X-Wings diving.
- Falcon engine burst again as the Transformer on Cybertron that Mirage watches on a monitor takes off.
- Falcon engine roar as Swoop dives to snatch Carly's car out from under Grimlock's foot.
Trivia
- The hangar that the Decepticons are hiding in is labeled "hangar" in huge white letters. This is so you know that it is, indeed, a hangar and not a well hidden Decepticon base.
- Mirage totally goes toe-to-toe with Megatron and manages to hold his own for a bit. Impressive!
- Slag sounds strangely upbeat when he says "Me Slag no like anything." It seems more that he's trying to one-up the other Dinobots than that he actually means it.
- When the Dinobots leave the Autobot base, Sludge and Snarl appear much shorter than the others. If the Dinobots were at all consistent with the dinosaurs they are based on, Sludge should be much larger than the others (foreshortening perhaps?).
Foreign localization
Italian
- Title (dub 1): "I Dinorobots disertano-Parte 1" ("The Deserting Dinobots-Part 1")
- Title (dub 2): "La diserzione dei Dinobots - I" ("The Desertion of the Dinobots - I")
- Original airdate: ?
Japanese
- Title: "Dinobot no Tōbō PART I" (ダイノボットの逃亡 PART I, "Desertion of the Dinobots PART I")
- Original airdate: January 24, 1986
Portuguese
- Title: "A Deserção dos Dinobots Parte 1" ("The Desertion of the Dinobots Part 1")
- Original airdate:
Home video releases
- VHS
1986 — The Transformers — Desertion of the Dinobots (A.M.T. Video Gems)
1986 — Transformers — Desertion of the Dinobots (Channel 5)
1988 — The Transformers — Desertion of the Dinobots (V.I.P. Video Gems)
1990 — Transformers — Desertion of the Dinobots 3-D (Channel 5)
1998 — The Transformers: Generation 2 — Desertion of the Dinobots (Behaviour)
1994 — Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers — Convoy Set (Takara) — Japanese audio only.
1998 — The Transformers — Autobot Edition (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
- DVD
2001 — The Transformers — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2002 — The Original Transformers — Season 2 Part 1 (Rhino Entertainment)
2002 — The Original Transformers — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 4 (Rhino Entertainment)
2003 — Transformers — Season 2 Part 1 (Metrodome)
2004 — Transformers — Collection 2: Series 2.1 (Madman Entertainment)
2006 — Transformers — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome)
2007 — The Transformers — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2008 — Transformers — Volume 04: Stagione Due Parte Seconda (Medianetwork Communication) — English and Italian audio.
2009 — Transformers — Season Two: Part One (Metrodome)
2009 — The Transformers — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — The Transformers — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)
2009 — The Transformers — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)
2011 — The Transformers — The Complete Original Series (Shout! Factory)
2014 — The Transformers — Season Two, Volume One: 30th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)
2014 — The Transformers — Roar of the Dinobots (Shout! Factory)
2014 — Transformers — The Classic Animated Series (Metrodome)
