Megatron Is My Hero
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 This crummy planet! How can me be defender of planet when there is no one here to defend? | ||||||
| "Megatron Is My Hero" | ||||||
| Production company | Hasbro Studios | |||||
| Airdate | September 30, 2018 (Canada) | |||||
| Writers | Eugene Son | |||||
| Director | Jean Texier | |||||
| Animation studio | Boulder Media Studio | |||||
Windblade tries to make Bee understand who Megatron is.
Synopsis
Long ago, on the planet Cybertron, gladiator champion Megatron finishes off his latest opponent, basking in the adulation of the crowd — a crowd that includes Bumblebee, who gleefully high-fives fellow spectator Shockwave as Megatron shouts a bombastic speech to his fans.
In the present day, Bumblebee is momentarily enamored by his memories of Megatron's bravado, and momentarily declares that Megatron is his hero, a proclamation that shocks Windblade. The Autobot flier desperately tries to make Bumblebee remember the many atrocities Megatron would go on to commit since his early days, and invites Bumblebee to look at another memory so that he can remember how it all went down.
Having moved past the gladiatorial arenas, Megatron has assembled a group of like-minded Transformers, including future Autobots and Decepticons, and holds another rally, vowing that, under his leadership, all Cybertronians will stand together; a statement that the young Bumblbee, watching from a speaker, can agree with.
Indeed, Bumblebee wonders if this charismatic Megatron really was a 'bot capable of bringing Cybertron together, but Windblade sadly dissuades him of this notion: it wasn't long before Megatron's true ambitions began to show through, and notes that even Optimus was eventually forced to confront the monster that his old friend became.
Optimus and Bumblebee travel to Megatron's current headquarters, and though Optimus is resolute that he can make Megatron see sense, Bumblebee isn't so sure. Indeed, when the Seeker guards bar their way, Optimus is forced to power his way through them, and things only get worse from there: Bumblebee runs afoul of the villainous Shadow Striker, and witnesses an increasingly depraved Shockwave assembling a mutant lifeform. Finally, Optimus reaches Megatron, but despite Prime's idealism, Megatron refuses to rejoin Prime's faction, and swears that, if they don't join him, then they're against him. Optimus refuses, and Megatron finally declares war on Prime and his followers. When Megatron asks if Bumblebee will join him, Bumblebee vows to stand by Megatron
Back in his mind, Bumblebee asserts that he's not scared of Megatron anymore, and Windblade wonders why, even after Megatron did what he did to the yellow Autobot. Her careless words prompt Bumblebee to access yet another memory...
War has gripped Cybertron, and deep beneath the planet's surface, Bumblebee spies on Shockwave's lab as the scientist interfaces with Vector Sigma. 'Bee overhears a transmission between Shockwave and Megatron, vowing that he'll soon have the AllSpark, but the scout makes the wrong move and alerts the security system to his presence. Bumblebee escapes with Starscream and the Seekers hot on his tail, and though he throws them off by darting into a narrow tunnel, he's pursued and apprehended by Shadow Striker, who joins Starscream in delivering him to Megatron.
Brought before the Decepticon leader, Bumblebee demands to know why Megatron has taken things as far as he has, and the villain informs him of his plan: by using Vector Sigma to reprogram AllSpark, he'll be able to create a new generation of Decepticons, finally fulfilling his vision of a future where "all are one." So that Bumblebee will never be able to warn Optimus of this plan, Megatron attacks and crucially damages the Autobot's voice box...
Though shaken by this last memory, Bumblebee's natural optimism reasserts itself; pointing out that he can still talk in his mind, he wonders how he ever called Megatron a hero.
Featured characters
Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
Friends! Fellow Cybertronians! Hear me! I used to fight in front of you, now I fight for you! It is time we take control of our destiny. I see a future Cybertron for all Cybertronians! This is the beginning of a new era! From this day forward we stand together, 'till all are one!"
- —Megatron is twirling, twirling, twirling toward freedom
Notes
Continuity notes
- Bumblebee was established to have first lost his voice on Cybertron during the events of "Memory."
- This episode clarifies why the Decepticons seek the AllSpark, as first mentioned back in "Fractured."
Transformers references
- The episode is, of course, another take on the now-standard history between Optimus Prime and Megatron that was explored in both the "Aligned" and IDW Generation 1 continuities: the former a peaceful 'bot advocating for nonviolent social change, the latter an ambitious gladiator dedicated to changing Cybertron by any means nessecary. Exactly what kind of social change the pair are advocating here has yet to be explored, though in the aforementioned continuities the two Transformers were fighting to tear down Cybertron's stagnant social system: the caste system and functionism, respectively.
- Megatron's cry of "Till all are one!" is a frequent rallying cry throughout the Transformers mythos.
- Shockwave makes his first appearance in the series; this version of the character seems more closely based on his counterpart from the Aligned continuity, who was fond of creating strange new lifeforms and mutating other Transformers into monstrous creatures.
- Vector Sigma also makes a return to television — the miraculous computer first appeared in the 1985 cartoon series, made a cameo in Beast Machines, and returned to the small screen several decades later in the Transformers: Prime cartoon. This iteration hews closer to the classic interpretation, a glowing yellow sphere of energy.
- Megatron's live-action counterpart's had a similar plan to use the AllSpark to give life to a new generation of Decepticons in the 2007 Transformers film. Similarly, his history with Bumblebee — being the 'bot responsible for tearing out his voice box — was first established in ancillary movie media and subsequently incorporated into the Aligned universe.
- Some of the otherwise-generic Seekers guarding Megatron's hideout appear to have color schemes referencing various G1 Decepticon fliers, the most recognizable being one painted like Sunstorm. Another one sports Ramjet's paintjob, though his head is different from the more recognizable cone shape that appeared in "Allspark"; could this be an earlier body?
- "Scrud" shows up as a Transformer swear, first appearing in the 2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon. It's joined by the even tamer curse word "rust."
Real-world references
- TBD
Trivia
- The gladiator that Megatron defeats in this episode is a tweak of Grimlock's character model.
- A clip from this episode was previewed at San Diego Comic-Con 2018.
Animation and technical errors
- TBD
Foreign localization
- TBD
Home video releases
- TBA
