Battle of the Asteroid Belt

The Decepticons manage to hit Asteroid City and Lunar City at the same time.

Summary

From Midway Gate Station 0-8, Carlos reports an unknown ship approaching Asteroid City. Hot Shot suspects its the unknown assassin. Communications with Asteroid City are being jammed, and Prime suspects the enemy has set up a base nearby.

Alpha Q reports Starscream's approach to Scorponok, and warns him not to mess things up again. Scorponok is pleased to learn that the Autobots and Megatron may be headed there too.

In Asteroid City, Megatron demands more energon from his Terrorcons. He gives Demolishor a drubbing for not finding more, wondering if his time among the Autobots affected his work habits. Demolishor notes that they should have stayed at Lunar City, but that it's fortified now. Scorponok arrives and reports that Optimus & co. are headed for Lunar City. Megatron harshly asks Scorponok where he got the information; despite not sounding very convinced, Megs leads some troops off to attack Prime there, while leaving Scorponok to carry out the Asteroid City ambush as a test of loyalty.

Alpha Q is pleased by this turn of events, and orders Scorponok to ensure Megatron's safety so Alpha Q can continue to use him.

The Autobots arrive in the asteroid belt. Kicker directs the search effort; he and Ironhide note that Prime's been very much on his guard since the assassination incident on the moon.

The Decepticons arrive at Lunar City and attack. The Omnicons evacuate the mines in a panic.

Kicker identifies a particular asteroid. Hot Shot suddenly says something about Unicron and opens fire. After a moment, the others join in.

Starscream meets with Scorponok, wondering why everyone keeps calling him "Starscream". Scorponok tells him that he's a warrior under his command, and that's the end of it.

The Autobots aren't having much luck shooting the asteroid, which returns fire when Hot Shot goes to investigate. Alpha Q's ship emerges, but when the Autobots start to pursue, Starscream attacks. Prime holds him off, demanding answers. Starscream tells him he's under the command of Alpha Q, "supreme ruler of the universe".

The others run into Scorponok, who makes short work of Jetfire and is ready to take on the rest. When the Autobots powerlink to engage, the ship departs, warping away, leaving Kicker adrift in space and freaking out, flashing back to his childhood.

Prime learns that Alpha Q's mission is to revive Unicron, but Alpha Q contacts Starscream and has him retreat before he reveals anything further. The Decepticons arrive and watch how Scorponok handles himself against the Autobots.

Prime retrieves Kicker, while Hot Shot, Inferno and Ironhide move in to rescue Jetfire. Hot Shot distracts Scorponok, while Prime and Ironhide get in close, and manage to capture Scorponok. They ask him who he's working for. Megatron arrives, and they teams trade words. The Autobots realize there's an energon seam nearby, which the Decepticons gleefully detonate, setting the whole asteroid off. Both teams retreat. Kicker freaks out, then passes out, as the fragments explode around him. The Autobot rescue him.

The Autobots return to Earth, regretting that they couldn't save Lunar City. Prime reports to Primus that they've "destroyed the fortress that once was home to Unicron". "Meeka" finds Kicker, who vents about his own freak-outs and failures on the mission. Meeka reassures him and offers advice. They watch as the city's population starts returning, and a ship emerges from the space bridge. Alexis welcomes Dr. Jones to Ocean City, who responds in his own unique fashion.

Meeting with the Autobots and the city's population, Dr. Jones proposes the creation of energon towers to protect Blizzard City, Desert City, Jungle City, and Ocean City, creating an impenetrable global energon grid.

Stats

Original airdate:

Written by:

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans	Others
		Regulars Guests

Quotes

"I gave you a very simple task, Demolishor, and that's to find me my energon. But it seems while you were on the Autobots' side their worthless work habits rubbed off on you!"
"But sir, I'm trying my best! Maybe we should go back to Lunar City, rememeber? There was plenty left there -- uuuuahhhhg!"
"Lunar City?!"
"Yes! But the only problem is, since we were there last, Optimus fortified the place and it might be too dangerous!"
"Are you implying I can't defeat a few mindless Autobots?!"
"No, of course not! I just thought I'd point it out, that's all!"

-- Megatron makes us wonder why Demolishor is so keen to work for him.

"Prove to me your loyalty. And if you succeed, maybe I'll have some new-found respect for you! ...but to be honest, I rather doubt it."

-- Megatron isn't a Scorponok fan

Kicker: "There!"
Optimus: "Is that it?"
Kicker: "A hundred percent, Optimus."
Jetfire: "But that asteroid looks almost alive!"
Hot Shot: "Unicron?! But that's impossible, isn't it, sir?"
[opens fire]
Optimus: "Hot Shot! What do you think you're doing?"
Kicker: Man, that's weird. As soon as Hot Shot mentioned the name Unicron, it's like everyone got all uptight. And I know that name from somewhere. Some kind of legendary gigantic Transformer who's the most powerful force in the universe. I think he's the one who attacked Cybertron.
Hot Shot: "NO, Optimus! We've gotta destroy him! Now's our chance."
Optimus Prime: "Open fire!"
[everyone opens fire]
everyone: "YUUUAAAAAAHHH!!"

-- WHAT

Scorponok: "Not even close! ...Fire two!"
Hot Shot and Ironhide: "Whoah!"
Ironhide: "But that was!"
Hot Shot: "Cause his shots are spiked with energon!
Ironhide: "Are you serious?!"

-- seriously. WHAT

"If you're trying to make me angry, you're doing a good job! But trust me, Junior... you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

-- Megatron channels Bruce Banner

"Aw no. The power from my energon star's almost dry. Another blast like that and we're done for!"

-- Jetfire uses the royal we, or else thinks he's the only thing keeping the team alive.

"Planning?! How do you strategize against an enemy like Unicron?! ...If anybody figure it out Optimus can!"

-- Kicker argues with himself

"I guess it's safe for everyone to come home. I suppose that's good news. And look! They're coming through the space bridge right now."

-- Misha doesn't seem to understand why anyone would come back to Ocean City

"Some of you may find my ideas to be quite radical. However, after researching our strengths, I feel very confident in my proposal. My plan is for the creation of energon towers."
"TOWERS?!"

-- Dr. Jones and Optimus Prime

Other Notes

• This whole episode is just confusing as hell. Who went where when? What are the Autobots shooting at? Where did Alpha Q's ship come from? Where did it go? What happened to Lunar City?
• Kicker is excruciating.
• Dr. Jones comes across as rather unhinged, laughing hysterically after greeting Alexis (and leaving her with her arms crossed over her chest, looking very uncomfortable), and touting the virtues of his energon tower grid against anyone "who dares attack us!!"
• The crowd reactions to Dr. Jones' proposal ("Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.") are hilarious.

Lost in translation

• Prime's report about destroying a former fortress-home of Unicron makes absolutely no sense. Unicron's never had such a base in the Unicron Trilogy, and it was Asteroid City that blew up -- the Autobots' own base!

Pain count

• "Uh?": 13
• Stock footage: 3
• We need/they want energon: 5
• It's time to: 4

Animation and/or technical glitches

• Hot Shot and Inferno both react and turn in response to Kicker thinking to himself.
• Both Optimus and Cyclonus say "regroup" when they mean "retreat".

Continuity errors

• Why is the unknown ship between "Mars and Lunar City", instead of "Mars and the moon"?
• Kicker and Ironhide comment that Prime's "always looking over his shoulder". The viewers, of course, haven't seen any of this.
• "The asteroid" is actually Alpha Q's ship.
• Nothing about "the asteroid" looks like Unicron.
• Nothing seems to come of Ironhide's pushing-asteroids plan.
• This time, she's "Meeka".

Keywords

From Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki, a Wikia wiki.