Time (episode)
| The name or term "Time" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Time (disambiguation). |
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| "Time" (Vector Prime no Ketsudan) "Vector Prime's Decision" | |||||||||
| Production company | TV Aichi, We've, Tōkyū Agency | ||||||||
| Airdate | March 12, 2005 (Japanese) August 13, 2005 (English) | ||||||||
| Writer | Hiro Masaki | ||||||||
| Director | Tsuyoshi Masui | ||||||||
| Animation studio | GONZO, Ashi Productions | ||||||||
| Continuity | Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity | ||||||||
The quest for the Omega Lock forces Vector Prime to take the greatest of risks!
Synopsis
[edit]
Optimus Prime, Landmine and Overhaul return from their most recent excursion to the Autobot base, where Jetfire and Scattorshot inform them that Coby, Bud and Lori have left with Vector Prime and the Recon Mini-Con Team, ostensibly to search for the Omega Lock. This so-called "search" has led them to a tropical island, where Bud and Coby frolic in the surf and Lori relaxes in the shade (not being a fan of the whole "nature" thing), while Vector Prime and Safeguard actually do all the work. Safeguard scans an Atlantis Pattern on some ruins just off the island shore, but it turns out to be another dead end. As the kids discuss how the Atlantis Pattern has pervaded popular culture, leading to copies all over the world, they ask Vector Prime to tell them more about the Omega Lock and Cyber Planet Keys, and he treats them to a holographic history lesson. After a brief interruption by a passing shepherd and his flock, Vector Prime continues to explain that the Omega Lock contains a map to the location of the four colony worlds where the Keys are located. Vector Prime grows frustrated as he recalls Megatron's theft of his map, perpetually putting the Decepticons one step ahead.
And speak of the devil...Megatron has successfully divined the location of the second planet to hold a Cyber Planet Key. While he studies this "Jungle Planet" from afar, Starscream and Thundercracker search for more leads in west Africa, but find only a blue crate.
Meanwhile, on Velocitron, Brakedown and Clocker help tune-up Hot Shot in preparation for the race for the Planet Cup. Red Alert once again accuses Hot Shot of racing for his own ego, leading to a big argument between the two that almost degenerates into a fistfight until Brakedown breaks it up and kicks Red Alert out of the workshop.
Back on the island, the kids start grilling Vector Prime on his powers over space and time. As Vector Prime tells them that his abilities are not what they once were, Safeguard emerges from the sea and reports that unfortunately, the island is definitely a dead end. Bud searches up some more information on Atlantis on his laptop, and the group heads for the location of another pattern in the Sahara desert. Jolt puts in a call to Autobot headquarters for a little assist, and Jetfire and Optimus Prime roll out to join them.
On Velocitron, the tuned-up Hot Shot hits the road for a test drive, but when he activates his Cyber Key, he once again skids out of control and almost crashes through the guard wall. Acting quickly, Clocker transforms to robot mode and blasts a hole the wall, allowing Hot Shot to careen safely through the gap. Brakedown deduces that they have made Hot Shot too light, and Hot Shot hopes they can fix it, as he is willing to do anything to defeat Override and save the universe.
In the Sahara, Optimus and Jetfire arrive as Vector Prime is using his jets to blow away sand and excavate some ruins. Jetfire uses his Turbine Wave to finish the job quickly, revealing the remains of some grand amphitheatre...and what appears to be the Omega Lock itself! Just as the two Primes begin to lift it, however, Starscream and Thundercracker arrive, having following the kids from the island, and a battle erupts. Megatron himself soon arrives to join the fight, and with the added power of their leader, the Decepticons are able to overpower the Autobots, even Super Mode Optimus Prime. The Mini-Cons urge the kids to get to safety, leaving them to defend the Omega Lock alone, and the children regretfully comply. Megatron is highly amused and charges his body with flaming energy before hurling himself at the Mini-Cons. Vector Prime is unable to stop Megatron's meteoric descent, and the Decepticon leader impacts violently, causing a huge explosion that destroys the Mini-Cons.
The horrified Vector Prime blames himself for leaving the Mini-Cons to protect the Lock alone, and he calls upon his long-neglected powers to rewind time to before the Mini-Cons' destruction. All the combatants realise that time has slid backward, and this time, the Mini-Cons and kids get to safety together. Unfortunately, this means that while the Autobots are occupied tending to the exhausted Vector Prime, who collapses after exerting himself to such an extent, Megatron and Starscream are able to seize the Omega Lock and prepare to take it through a portal to the Jungle Planet. When Optimus Prime takes off after them, Thundercracker tries to shoot the Autobot leader from behind...but at the last second, Prime swerves out of the way of Thundercracker's blast, which hits the Omega Lock and reduces it to so many fragments. Megatron is calm in defeat, however: Thundercracker has inadvertently discovered that this "Omega Lock" was actually an imitation, as the genuine article could never have been destroyed with such ease. Megatron and Starscream pull out for Jungle Planet, while Thundercracker escapes over the horizon, leaving the Autobots to pick up the pieces of their defeat.
A little later, as the sun begins to set, Vector Prime awakens to the concerned faces of the Autobots looking down at him. Despite all this concern from his comrades, Vector Prime is not happy, lamenting his initial failure to protect the Mini-Cons, his dangerous use of his own power, and the fact that Megatron has discovered the location of the second planet. But the kids find the silver lining: With both Megatron and Starscream busy on Jungle Planet, the Autobots can search Earth and find the Omega Lock first.
Featured characters
[edit](Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
[edit]"Discussion of my butt aside, we were talking about the lock and keys."
- —Vector Prime
"Stop. Don't give Bud any ideas. He might disrupt history altogether."
"I guess they do say that in every single sci-fi movie ever made in the world."
- —Lori and Bud
"Seems awful elaborate just for a takeoff. Ah, light at the end of the tunnel."
"This elevator could use a window. First floor—housewares."
- —Jetfire and Optimus Prime comment on the use of stock footage.
"They were destroyed because I let them. This is my fault! No! This will not stand!"
(Vector Prime sheds a single tear)
"I AM a keeper of space and time! I CAN see through time! I WILL TRAVEL THROUGH TIME!"
- — Vector Prime gets the kids and the Mini-Cons killed, and understandably freaks out.
"We were beaten today..."
"Heehee! You were beat like'uh rug you were! Bwaha!"
- — Optimus Prime reflects on the battle's outcome, and Thundercracker rubs it in.
Notes
[edit]Differences with Galaxy Force
[edit]- Cybertron inserts a few beats of new music into the opening seconds of the episode, which were otherwise entirely silent in Galaxy Force.
- In Galaxy Force, Vector Prime explicitly notes that his powers over time have weakened due to the black hole's effect upon the fabric of reality. A limitation is also imposed that Cybertron leaves out: He can only rewind time by exactly one minute, lest the distortion of which he speaks come to pass.
- In Cybertron, Jolt jokes that he is able to stop time, while in Galaxy Force, he is claiming that stopping time is an ability Vector Prime still has.
- Cybertron notes that Starscream and Thundercracker follow Vector Prime and company to the Sahara after hacking into Bud's laptop and discovering their intended destination. In Galaxy Force, it's apparently just coincidence.
- In Cybertron, Thundercracker mocks Optimus Prime for being beaten today, while in Galaxy Force, Thundercracker panics, thinking he'll surely be punished for destroying the pseudo Omega Lock.
Animation and/or technical glitches
[edit]
- In the opening scene of the episode, as Scattorshot and Landmine speak to each other, they are both missing most, if not all, of their shading and texture effects. It's like an Energon flashback!
- When Starscream lands in the forest, he is crazy out of scale with his surroundings. The trees only come up to his ankles!
- When Safeguard emerges from the water, Vector Prime greets him unusually: "Still nothing...thank you thank you, Safeguard." While the line does match the lip-flap animation, it sounds very much like two different recordings spliced together.
- After Safeguard lands on Vector Prime's arm, he disappears for the rest of the scene.
- As Clocker leaps down to join Hot Shot after the latter skids off the track, he shouts "Clocker, transform!" ...except he had already transformed about twenty seconds beforehand.
- Optimus Prime's mouth doesn't move when he says "Laugh at this!" (because he doesn't speak in Galaxy Force).
- The blast Optimus fires at Megatron is a huge blue beam as it departs his cannon, but when the angle changes to Megatron swatting it away, it's thin and red.
- When the Mini-Cons and the kids make a run for it after Vector Prime reversing the time, Reverb's chest is missing its orange color.
- When Optimus questions what just happened after time reversal, the "wing" parts on the sides of his head are folded inwards while hes still in his Super Mode.
Continuity errors
[edit]- What in the blue fudge is the deal with the crate Starscream and Thundercracker find? They track a signal to Africa, and...it's a crate. Why? There's no explanation in either version of the show.
- When Thundercracker prepares to sneak-attack Optimus Prime at the end of the episode, he's in jet mode. When he activates his Cyber Key Power, however, he's in robot mode. And then, he's in jet mode again as he taunts Optimus and flees!
- If Vector Prime reversed time, how does anyone aside from him know it happened? They never experienced it!
Continuity notes
[edit]- Hot Shot's accident, which almost repeats itself this episode, occurred in "Speed".
Real-world references
[edit]- When contemplating time travel, Coby thinks to himself "Whoa, that's heavy.", referencing a phrase frequently spoken by Back to the Future protagonist Marty McFly.
- "All in all, it's just a break in the wall!" Clocker cries as he shoots out the guard wall, paraphrasing the lyrics of "Another Brick in the Wall" from Pink Floyd's albumm, The Wall.
Trivia
[edit]- Optimus' growling expression as he says "Laugh at this!" has teeth, a departure from Cybertron's usual G1-esque mouths. Toothed expressions will be seen again in "Ambush".
Home video releases
[edit]- DVD
2005 — Transformers: Galaxy Force — Vol. 03 (Victor Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2008 — Transformers: Cybertron — The Ultimate Collection (Paramount)
2014 — Transformers: Cybertron — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
