Other Victories
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 Sure is nice in the lifeless void. | ||||||
| "Other Victories" | ||||||
| Airdate | May 5, 1999 | |||||
| Written by | Larry DiTillio | |||||
| Directed by | William Lau | |||||
| Animation studio | Mainframe Entertainment | |||||
| Continuity | Beast Wars continuity | |||||
The aliens send their powerful new emissary Tigerhawk to Earth to stop the continued disruption of the time stream.
- Japanese title: ただいまでござる (Tadaima de Gozaru, "I Hath Returned")
Synopsis
Somewhere in the vast universe, two entities are discussing the experiment on "Nexus Earth". Though the project was "sterilized", there remains a threat. The entities then reveal Tigatron and Airazor, then merge their bodies together, creating a new Transformer. The aliens inhabit the body and depart in a ball of energy, while two sparks follow.
At the Predacon base, the Predacons are holding a "trial" for Quickstrike. Waspinator is the "defense", Dinobot and Rampage are the jury, Inferno is taking the minutes, and Megatron is the judge, not to mention the fact that he's all dressed up for the occasion. Quickstrike begs for mercy, saying he doesn't know what Tarantulas's intentions for destroying the Ark were, but offers to hunt him down for Megatron. Suddenly, the sensors detect an energy surge on a ballistic approach for the base. Tarantulas and Rhinox both detect the surge as well and recognize that it can only be one thing.
The aliens are back.
The Predacons' automated defenses are ineffective against the anomaly, and Megatron orders them to abandon the base. Making contact, the energy ball destroys the Predacon ship instantly. Optimus Primal heads for the base, fearing that the spark of the original Megatron may have been destroyed, and sends Cheetor to assist.
From the ashes of the Predacon base, the alien Transformer appears and introduces himself as Tigerhawk, emissary of the Vok. He dispatches the other Predacons with ease, then sentences Megatron to death for his interference with the timestream. The two battle, but Tigerhawk is victorious. During the fight, Cheetor is incapacitated. As Tigerhawk prepares the killing blow, Optimus arrives. Tigerhawk greets him in a friendly manner, but asks him not to interfere. Optimus tries to explain Megatron's situation, but is entombed in the earth for his efforts. However, Tigerhawk is attacked by Tarantulas's spider drones, which allows Tarantulas to drag him to his lair. Meanwhile, an unconscious Cheetor dreams that he is visited by the sparks of Tigatron and Airazor, who fuse together before he is attacked by the two Vok seen in the beginning of the episode. He wakes up to see the fused spark, which guides him to the lair and the emissary.
At the lair, Tigerhawk revives and claims to know Tarantulas. The mad scientist states that he intends to use Tigerhawk to destroy the Maximals while he detonates the Ark. He also reveals why he wants to destroy it: Tarantulas and the Tripredacus Council are not descendants of the Autobots and the Decepticons, but have "other origins". This would allow them to control Cybertron and conquer the universe. Cheetor jumps in around this time and looks on amazed at the scene. As Tarantulas activates the deprogramming device, the two Vok entities emerge from Tigerhawk's mouth and enter him. The device then shoots a bolt of energy at Tarantulas, which throws him into a nearby Energon crystal. The crystal detonates, destroying Tarantulas and the two aliens in a freakish yet totally hardcore manner. Cheetor manages to drag Tigerhawk out, but is knocked unconscious when the lair explodes.
Optimus locates Cheetor and Tigerhawk as the merged sparks of Tigatron and Airazor enter the emissary. Welcoming their old friends and new friend back, the Maximals depart for home…as Megatron watches on.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Maximals | Predacons | Others |
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Quotes
"Ooooo, Waspinator like defense! A little more defense, and maybe Waspinator not get blown up all the time!"
- —Waspinator
gulp "Looks like this is my last round-up."
- —Quickstrike commenting on Predacon "justice".
"Aheh-ahem! Two-Head throw Megatron in lava pit. Megatron angry, think Two-Head traitor. Want to slag Two-Head. Waspinator down with that!"
- —Waspinator's "defense".
"Predacons, your verdict?"
[Rampage and Dinobot II point their guns at Quickstrike.]
- —Megatron
"I applaud your good intentions. But we are through being lenient with traitors!"
- —Megatron, apparently no longer tolerant of treachery.
"Well, i-i-if it's not a comet, what is it?"
"Somethin' I thought we'd never see again."
- —Rattrap and Rhinox, monitoring Tigerhawk's approach toward prehistoric Earth
"Looks like the Beast Wars are over... FOR THE PREDS! Eheheh! Eheheh!" [looks for high-five]
- —Rattrap after the Predacon base is destroyed.
"They're back – just like Tarantulas always said they'd be."
- —Blackarachnia
"I am Tigerhawk, emissary of the Vok. Your form's changed, but I know you, Megatron. The Vok charge you with the willful disruption of time and space. Surrender to me immediately. Violence will not be tolerated."
[chuckles] "Megatrons do not surrender." [transforms to robot mode] "We conquer! Predacons, attack!"
- —Tigerhawk and Megatron
"This is my world now. YOU have no place in it!"
- —Megatron has a low opinion of squatters.
"Just when things were finally looking up. Eheheh, we're all gonna die."
- —Rattrap after the situation has been explained to him.
"At least this time, Waspinator has company!"
- —Waspinator, as he, Inferno and Quickstrike are taken away by a Tigerhawk-created tornado
"Hmmm, a curious species."
- —Tigerhawk on Transformers in general
"You're insane!"
"So they say. Brrrrar!"
- —Tarantulas proves Tigerhawk's assertion
Notes
- Silverbolt and Depth Charge do not appear in this episode.
- This may be the only episode of the entire series where Megatron actually pays Waspinator a genuine compliment, congratulating him on his "Brilliant" defense of Quickstrike.
- Cheetor has his last of four strange dreams in this episode, wherein Airazor and Tigatron appear to him and fuse together before his eyes. When he wakes up, he sees and follows the new joint spark over the landscape. He also sees the Vok in this dream before he sees them in real life, perhaps because Tigerhawk shows him or perhaps precognitive.
- After the subsequent demise of Tarantulas and Tigerhawk soon after, Cheetor becomes the only living Cybertronian to have seen the Vok.
- This episode really wants you to buy a Tigerhawk toy. Can you tell?
Continuity errors
- Despite being described as having "different origins" than being Decepticon descendants, in "The Agenda", the Tripredacus Council specifically refer to the Decepticons as being their ancestors while talking in private to themselves. Bit of a glaring retcon there. (We could be charitable and assume they meant the Decepticon-born Cybertronian Empire.)
- Considering at least some time has passed since the last episode, there's no logical explanation for why no one had bothered to explain to Rattrap that Megatron now had the original Megatron's spark and thus why he needed it explained to him in this episode. Nor has Rattrap been portrayed as anything but intelligent up until this point so that he'd need this explained to him a second time if we're to assume they did tell him and he just... forgot. This was likely only done to serve as exposition for the audience.
Technical/animation glitches
- During one shot as the Predacons are scrambling to battle stations before Tigerhawk arrives, Megatron's eyes are green instead of red.
Transformers references
Real-world references
- As the Vok approach Tarantulas, he attempts to ward them off by forming a crucifix with his fingers, a sacred item often used to ward off vampires in folklore.
- During Quickstrike's court-martial, Megatron wears a barrister's wig like those worn by British attorneys and judges. Inferno acts as stenographer (complete with typewriter).
