Primal (Cybertron)
| The name or term "Primal" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Primal (disambiguation). |
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 "ROCKY III FREEZE-FRAME ENDING!" | |||||||||
| "Primal" (Lori Majū no Hoshi e) "Lori Goes to the Planet of Demon Beasts" | |||||||||
| Production company | TV Aichi, We've, Tōkyū Agency | ||||||||
| Airdate | June 4, 2005 (Japanese) October 17, 2005 (2005) | ||||||||
| Writer | Manabu Ishikawa | ||||||||
| Director | Masashi Nagao | ||||||||
| Animation studio | GONZO | ||||||||
| Continuity | Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity | ||||||||
Megatron is determined to stop Optimus Prime and Scourge's duel, but the leader of Jungle Planet will not be denied!
Synopsis
On Jungle Planet, Scourge undergoes rigorous training in preparation for his battle with Optimus Prime. Chained between two pillars, he fights off attacks from Brimstone and Undermine as Megatron watches with disparaging silence. Starscream and Sideways discuss the possibility of Scourge losing, and the fate of the Jungle Planet's Cyber Planet Key...
Optimus Prime himself, meanwhile, has returned to Earth to get a tune-up from Red Alert before his duel with Scourge commences. He invites Override to accompany him, hoping that two planet leaders together will be able to convince Scourge of importance of their mission, at which point Lori pushes Coby forward to argue the case for one of the kids going with them as a representative of Earth. Of course, she's the one who wants to go, and Override seconds the proposal, despite Jetfire's distressed protestations. The other Autobots pipe up, recalling how helpful Coby was on Velocitron, and Optimus agrees, entrusting Lori's safety to Override. Coby gives Lori his safety helmet as a good luck charm.
The Autobot team departs for Jungle Planet, and they are soon trekking through the wilderness on their way to Scourge's temple. Suddenly, the Autobots are attacked by Starscream, Thundercracker, Crumplezone and Ransack, who have been secretly dispatched by Megatron to delay the Autobots, thereby preventing Optimus and Scourge's battle. While Leobreaker, Snarl, Backstop and Hot Shot are caught in a net, Override is circled by the two Veloctronian goons, but manages to get the better of them by accusing them of being terrible racers. Their pride offended, the two twits insist on having a race right there, but as they speed off into the jungle, they fail to notice that Override hasn't left the starting line at all. With the Decepticons' numbers thus halved, the Autobots quickly overpower Starscream and Thundercracker, free their comrades, and carry on their way. Sideways observes the fracas from the jungle, grumbling about the Decepticons' ineptitude.
The Autobots proceed to Scourge's temple, where they are met with anger for their lateness. Optimus Prime attempts to tell Scourge about the Decepticon attack, but Megatron brushes it off and quickly makes himself scarce before Scourge can inquire too deeply. As it turns out, inquisition is the last thing Scourge cares about, as he adopts a battle stance and is about to begin the promised duel. Before the fight can start, however, Lori steps forward and tries to explain to Scourge that more can be accomplished through working together than by fighting. At first, the Jungle Planet natives are fascinated by the strangle little creature before them, but Scourge's bewilderment soon devolves into fury when he interprets Lori's pleas as an insult against his laws and culture. All the Autobots leap to Lori's aid, illustrating her point perfectly, but Scourge takes no notice of this, and insists that his and Optimus's duel begin. Prime merges with Leobreaker, but in the course of the battle, Scourge is able to damage their combination joint and force them to separate. The two Autobots are not dissuaded by this turn of events and simply combine again, only with Leobreaker as the left arm this time. The two opponents charge at each other full force, and swing their fists at the same time...but it is Prime's punch that wins out, bringing Scourge to his knees.
Bested by the Autobot leader, Scourge expects Prime to finish him, but Optimus refuses, and Scourge must accept his decision, Prime's victory means he is now the planet's ruler. The humbled Scourge takes the Autobots into his temple and transforms the sacred Beast Totem into Jungle Planet's Cyber Planet Key, which he presents to Optimus Prime. Optimus accepts it, but informs Scourge that he has no desire to be the planet's ruler. Scourge departs, having been given a lot to think about...especially by Lori, who he smiles at and calls his "little sister". Outraged by Scourge's familiarity, Lori rages while the other Autobots just laugh.
In the heart of a nearby volcano, Megatron meets with the other Decepticons, howling in rage over the loss of another Cyber Planet Key to the Autobots. He declares the time for deception over, and for the Decepticons to prepare for a full-scale assault...an order that convinces Starscream it's time to step up his plan..
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"Optimus...? Um... I was wondering, if Override's going, shouldn't you bring a representative from Earth, too? I mean, if you don't want to, that's cool..."
"Hey! Someone from Earth should have a say in saving the universe too!"
"Aw, this is ridiculous! Lori is desperate to go to Jungle Planet!"
"Co-beeeeee! You weren't supposed to say it like that!"
- —Coby doesn't understand the subtle workings of Lori's mind.
Override: Hold on a second. Let's talk.
Ransack: We got nothin' to talk about, Override!
Crumplezone: Unless you...wanna say somethin' nice.
- —Aw, Crumplezone just wants to be loved!
Notes
Differences with Galaxy Force
- As Override and Lori drive through the wilds of Jungle Planet, Galaxy Force has them marvel at the natural beauty around them. Cybertron repurposes the exchange to be about the new sisterly relationship that is forming between the two characters. While the relationship does exist in Galaxy Force, it does not reach the level that it does in Cybertron, where Override's switched gender allowed the characters to be even closer, refering to each other as "big sister" and "little sister", rather than "little miss" or "lady", as Override calls Lori in Galaxy Force. The "sister" aspect of their relationship in Cybertron is also extended to encompass Scourge, who emulates Override by also calling Lori his "little sister".
- It's supposed to be a one-on-one duel between Scourge and Optimus Prime, right? That's why Cybertron has to add in an extra line from Scourge boasting about his magnanimity in allowing Prime the aid of Leobreaker, cause it don't make much sense in Galaxy Force!
Animation or technical errors
- Leobreaker and Snarl appear consistently very small in beast mode, especially when compared to robot-mode Thundercracker.
- When Sideways peeps out from the depths of the jungle, he towers over the trees, appearing gargantuan.
Continuity and plotting errors
Real-world references
- Ransack informs Crumplezone that "this is another fine mess you've gotten us into," dropping the famous catchphrase of comedian Oliver Hardy, of Laurel and Hardy fame.
Trivia
- As insufferable as it is to see a large chunk of the Savage Claw Mode combination stock footage repeated within less than a two-minute span, a little bit of credit does have to go to the animators for not just mirror-flipping the footage: you can tell they didn't because Optimus's cannons are still on the correct sides!
