A Prime Problem
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 Double your pleasure... | |||||||||
| "A Prime Problem" | |||||||||
| Production code | #700-26 | ||||||||
| Production company | Sunbow Productions | ||||||||
| Airdate | October 2, 1985 | ||||||||
| Written by | Dick Robbins Bryce Malek | ||||||||
| Continuity | Generation 1 cartoon continuity | ||||||||
Megatron creates a clone of Optimus Prime to lure the Autobots to their doom.
- Japanese title: 二人のコンボイ (Ninin no Convoy, "Two Convoys")
Synopsis
The Decepticons discover a crevasse in the Earth from which is emanating strange energy readings. Megatron stops Starscream from diving straight in, and orders Soundwave to send in an autoscout. They quickly determine that the crevasse is full of dangerous Corlonium crystals, which destroy anything with electronic circuitry on contact, and decide to try to trick the Autobots into entering the crevasse. To that end they retire to their nearby temporary operations base.
Optimus Prime and the Autobots show up at the scene shortly, but before they can learn more about the lights, they are attacked by a Decepticon squad led by Starscream. Megatron dispatches Laserbeak, who knocks Prime over a cliff with a few well-aimed shots and puts him out of commission. The Decepticon then beams holographic pictures of the Autobot leader back to Megatron, who uses them to create a remote-controlled clone.
While the real Optimus is still clambering out of the pit he fell into, the clone leads the Autobots back to base. There are some awkward moments when the clone addresses Ironhide as "Bumblebee", fails to work Teletraan I, and doesn't even remember giving Teletraan a check up earlier that day, but the Autobots are distracted by the perimeter alarm sounding — the real Optimus Prime has arrived back at base. Under the clone's leadership, the Autobots prepare shoot the real Prime as an impostor, but Ironhide stops them, announcing that no one's shooting anyone until they determine who's really Optimus Prime.
Teletraan scans both Primes, but is unable to determine which of them is fake. The clone excels at sharp-shooting, and when it's the real Prime's turn, the rocky outcrop they're using as a target falls on him. Fortunately Optimus shrugs the rubble off. A race to the end of the flats and back is even less conclusive. Any further tests are interrupted by Teletraan I reporting an increase in activity from the crevasse — in reality the work of Megatron's energy amplifiers. Ironhide announces he's taking command while Optimus Prime's identity is uncertain and the Autobots set out for the crevasse.
Naturally, they soon run into a Decepticon ambush. From the Decepticon base, Megatron and Starscream watch the fight. Megatron has decided that to win the Autobots' trust completely, the false Prime will have to destroy a Decepticon. Furthermore he's picked Starscream to take the fall. Starscream isn't too enthusiastic about this plan, and makes a run for it. He's seen leaving the base by Windcharger and Spike Witwicky, who then watch Laserbeak drag the protesting Decepticon back to base, enabling the pair to slip in unnoticed. Megatron explains the part of his plan that he neglected to mention earlier: that the Prime clone will only be destroying a clone of Starscream. Windcharger and Spike watch the production of Starscream's clone, and start back to warn the Autobots, but are spotted — Spike is captured by Laserbeak while Windcharger falls into the crevasse.
Out on the battlefield, both Autobots and Decepticons alike are surprised when the Starscream clone joins in and immediately challenges one of the Optimus Primes to a duel to the death. The Decepticon at first gets the upper hand, but is blown apart when he stops to gloat. The rest of the Decepticons flee. Now convinced that the clone is the real thing after the battle, the Autobots follow the clone to the crevasse, ignoring the warnings from the real Optimus. But before they are led to their doom, Windcharger pulls up from the crevasse and reveals the truth, letting them know that the Decepticons have Spike captive.
The clone says to disregard Windcharger's report and Spike's plight, and orders the Autobots forward into the crevasse. Ironhide declares the clone to be the fake, because the real Prime would save Spike. The Autobots shoot the fake Optimus into oblivion and follow Prime on a rescue mission. The Decepticon rocket base quickly launches, dropping Spike in mid-air, but fortunately Powerglide is able to execute a mid-air rescue. Optimus assures Spike that he's the real thing, and pets the boy like a puppy.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"It's just such ignorance which forever relegates you to the ranks of underlings, Starscream!"
- —Megatron
"All the danger you can handle is already here, Floptimus Prime!"
- —Starscream comes up with a clever insult.
"I'm sorry there are only three of you. Clobbering less than four Decepticons at a time is boring."
- —Optimus Prime
"Laserbeak... you tin-foil turkey!"
- —Optimus Prime dishes out the trash talk like a pro.
Optimus Prime clone: Bumblebee, come over here. The computer's not responding to my input.... Bumblebee, I'm speaking to you.
Ironhide: You talking to me?
Optimus Prime clone: Of course.
Ironhide: But I'm not Bumblebee, I'm Ironhide, Prime.
Optimus Prime clone: I meant Ironhide, naturally.
- —The fake Optimus Prime totally flubs Ironhide's name, even though Ironhide's the only other one there, and the Southern-fried lug still doesn't get it...
"I don't mind hitting the dirt, but I don't enjoy eating it!"
- —Gears
"No, DO NOT! ARGH, my magnificent creation, vaporized! With Prime's replica destroyed, we must escape, now!"
- —Megatron, not being at all melodramatic.
"Is it really you, Optimus Prime? I mean really?"
"Yes, Spike. This time I am definitely me. Or I. Myself. Oh, whoever I am. Put 'er there, partner."
- —A cautious but hopeful Spike questions Optimus Prime, who doesn't do the best job of keeping a sentence together.
Notes
Animation or technical glitches
- Soundwave's optics turn white a couple of times, first when ejecting the autoscout, and then when ejecting Laserbeak for the first time.
- When Optimus is throwing Thundercracker, his colors change to Starscream's.
- After the clone announces that they'll spring any traps that need to be spring, the real Prime's mouthplate disappears.
- In a dialogue flub, Optimus calls Trailbreaker "Trailblazer". Later he calls Spike "Splik". Makes you wonder if the Autobots destroyed the right one.
- As he and Spike climb the mountain and spot Laserbeak, Windcharger is sporting a red Decepticon insignia.
- After the fake Starscream is destroyed by the fake Optimus, Starscream is seen standing next to the other Decepticons (it's not even a coloring error as Thundercracker and Skywarp are both standing next to him).
- Starscream sports a red Decepticon insignia when he objects to Megatron's plan.
Continuity errors
- Anyone else notice that Powerglide isn't seen until the very end? Shows up right after the fake Prime kills the fake Starscream.
- If the clones are completely remote controlled then what is Clone Optimus Prime doing while Megatron is not wearing his control helmet?
Trivia
- This episode marks the first and last appearance of the Autoscout, a cassette drone launched by Soundwave.
- This episode has the first appearances of Powerglide and Warpath. However, no explanation of their origins is made. Warpath gets no lines at all.
- The cloning machine also somehow manages to clone Prime's trailer even though Prime was scanned in his robot mode. Did it simultaneously scan the trailer in subspace and then have it produced by a cloning machine also in subspace? Weird.
- Notice that when both Primes get X-rayed, neither one possesses an Matrix of Leadership in his chest cavity. Mind you, this was before the Matrix was introduced in the cartoon.
- Testing to see which Prime is fake by road races and sharpshooting contests (instead of, say, quizzing them on the names and histories of the Autobots) is fairly dumb.
- Megatron's knowledge of Autobot names is a bit dodgy. Here, he mistakenly calls Ironhide "Bumblebee". This is particularly strange since he knew Brawn's name in "Fire on the Mountain", yet couldn't identify Ironhide, someone much higher on the Autobot totem pole. He was able to identify Ironhide by name in "The Autobot Run" when he told Long Haul and Scrapper to load Ironhide into the crusher.
- Laserbeak is pretty hardcore. Optimus is easily able to overpower Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp with his bare hands, yet a few blasts from Laserbeak take him down. Laserbeak also manages to open a pretty nice can of whoop-ass on Starscream when Starscream tries to run away.
