The End Of The Universe I
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| "The End Of The Universe I" | ||||||
| Production company | Allspark Animation | |||||
| Airdate | February 20, 2020 (UK) | |||||
| Animation studio | Boulder Media Studio | |||||
The Autobots and Decepticons combine forces to liberate Cybertron from a sinister alien force.
Synopsis
Standing in front of a giant Autobot symbol, Kup addresses the universe, telling them that they nearly found themselves wiped out, and all thanks to one 'bot: Starscream.
Having last been seen on Croaton's back, Starscream was dragged along for the ride as the Titan passed through a space storm, and then past a star. The heat caused him to black out, and when he came too, he saw a ship in the distance. But it was a Quintesson ship, and Croaton was disabled. Starscream was dragged in front of the Judge, and the egotistical Decepticon was almost immediately found in contempt. Before the Sharkticons could execute him, Starscream managed to talk his way out by pointing the Quintessons in the direction of Cybertron and the Allspark. In gratitude, the Judge promised Starscream the highest reward the Quintessons can offer... The joke, however, was on Starscream. As he entered the Scientist's lab, the Quintesson immobilized him, but assured the Decepticon he'd be gentle with his face.
The newly ascended Judge Starscream uses his Quintesson given powers to immobilize Autobots and Decepticons alike, but his gloating is ruined when the two personalities he now shares a body with disagree on what to do with their captives. One wishes to probe them, while the other simply wishes to eat them all. Hot Rod asks they make up their mind, causing Starscream to declare them all in contempt. The assembled Autobot / Decepticon alliance open fire on Starscream, but he immobilizes them as well, then commands the Prosecutors to round up everyone else.
Soon, everyone else has been rounded up, and the Scientist explains to Starscream his role as a Judge. The Quintessons believe that every universe should be judged by its inhabitants, so they select representatives from each species to be a part of a Judge. Reassuring him that all the prior Judges can offer advice, the Scientist calls up the previous Quintesson Judge. It explains that once Starscream reaches a verdict, he'll need to know how to destroy the universe, and the best way to destroy space is with unspace, which they have access to. With the orientation over, the Scientist tells Starscream he must begin immediately. Starscream refuses to do so until Optimus and Megatron have answered for their crimes against him. The Scientist's attempts to explain that destroying the universe would destroy them along with it are ignored, since Starscream wants to see them humiliated (and the other two want them probed and eaten). The Scientist balks, since they're already far behind schedule, but Starscream is adamant.
Down below, Hot Rod tells Soundwave to do his thing, the Decepticon warning that it will only work once. He lets loose a massive burst of sound which paralyzes the Sharkticon guards, and the Cybertronians begin a jail-break. However, Starscream notices, and again uses his powers to freeze everyone. With that, a Sharkticon stabs out Soundwave's speaker, and Starscream gloats.
Kup reassures his audience that while the escape didn't work for everyone, it did work for one 'bot, and that's enough.
Unseen by Starscream, Windblade manages to escape the arena, flying off into Iacon City. Meanwhile, Hot Rod and Soundwave are brought before Judge Starscream, and for once the three personalities are in agreement: The two are very, very guilty. Noting how well they work together, Starscream doles out an ironic punishment, having the Scientist place two of the virtual reality masks over their faces, the two will continue to work together, until he's rendered judgement.
In the simulation, the two are faced with the Rust Plague rapidly approaching on all sides. Their only hope is to buff for their lives. As they do, Soundwave vows to make Starscream pay.
Starscream demands the captive Cybertronians tell him the location of Optimus and Megatron. Perceptor tells him he won't find them, regardless of how powerful he is. Optimus and Megatron were lost when the Quintesson tower went down. Starscream refuses to believe it, as does the listening Kup.
Their reaction is justified. As the Judge was raging out of control, Optimus told Bumblebee to head for the multiverse portal with the injured Wheeljack, declaring it their only chance for survival. The three go through the portal, and wind up in a very different universe, consisting of free-floating stairs and platforms. No sooner has Bumblebee said that at least they're safe, reality starts shifting around them, sending the scout falling...
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
Quotes
Notes
Continuity notes
- The episode opens with a flashback detailing what happened to Starscream and Croaton after the events of "Ghost Town", as well as showing why the Quintessons came to Cybertron in the first place.
- Optimus, Bumblebee and Wheeljack were inside the Quintesson tower when it was apparently destroyed just last episode. The flashback here is a little bit of a cheat, since that episode showed the tower going down immediately after the Judge flew into it, but here there was enough time for them to get out. Perceptor assumes Megatron went down as well, because he didn't see Megatron taking off in the Quintesson ship (because... y'know.)
- The Rust Plague first appeared in the flashback sequences of "Terminal Velocity" where it consumed Velocitron.
Transformers references
- One of Judge Starscream's other faces is a Velgrox, a race of carnivorous aliens seen in the Rescue Bots episode "New Normal".
Real-world references
- The other of Judge Starscream's other faces is a standard Grey alien, its constant demands to probe the Cybertronians references some of the more... unsavory tales of alien abduction.
Other trivia
- TBA
Animation and technical errors
- TBA
Foreign localization
- TBA
Home video releases
- TBA
