Forever Is a Long Time Coming (episode)
| |||||||||
 The biggest Interocitor in history. | |||||||||
| "Forever Is a Long Time Coming" | |||||||||
| Production code | 700-94 | ||||||||
| Production company | Sunbow Productions | ||||||||
| Airdate | October 8, 1986 | ||||||||
| Written by | Gerry Conway Carla Conway | ||||||||
| Continuity | Generation 1 cartoon continuity | ||||||||
In an attempt to alter history, the Quintessons open a Time Window to Cybertron's ancient past, but their meddling ultimately causes time itself to begin unraveling.
- Japanese title: 時の罠 (Toki no Wana, "Time Trap")
- German title: "Die Ewigkeit dauert lange" ("The Eternity takes a long Time")
Synopsis
Perceptor, Wreck-Gar, Blurr and Blaster investigate chronal pulses coming from an asteroid belt near Cybertron. They are fired upon by Sharkticons, which launch from an installation on a bowl-shaped asteroid, the source of the pulses. The Autobots make quick work of the Sharkticons as Perceptor tells Blaster to radio Rodimus Prime for reinforcements. The Autobots land on the asteroid just in time to see a Quintesson scientist open a time portal to eleven million years in the past to retrieve a "target subject", much to Perceptor's horror. The Autobots are fired on by Quintesson ships, which blast Perceptor and herd the other Autobots toward the time portal—much to the chagrin of the scientist. The time window fades out as the Autobots, sans Perceptor, end up eleven million years in the past!
The Quintesson ships continue firing, striking the time portal before being ambushed by Superion and Rodimus Prime. The Quints escape as a damaged Perceptor tells Rodimus Prime to find the Autobots and Silverbolt instructs the other Aerialbots not to follow... as a mysterious figure suddenly materializes, confused from the time travel.
Eleven million years ago, automatic defenses fire upon the Autobots, who quickly retreat. Ramhorn charges and runs right into a Dark Guardian in hot pursuit. The Dark Guardian attempts to step on the Autobots, but is stopped by a shot from an unknown female Transformer called Beta, who tells the others to follow her to the Warrens before the Quints send more. She states even though she's taking a risk bringing in Blaster and his cadre, they need all the help they can get for an attack on Hive City. Beta is disgusted by the "mark of shame" on the Autobots' chests. She explains the Autobot symbol has been a symbol of slavery for over a million years, but that A3 says it must become a symbol of freedom. She states A3 has a Coda Remote device to freeze the Dark Guardians, allowing the slaves to rise against the Quintessons. Rewind finally realizes they are in Cybertron's past, when the Transformers were still slaves for the Quintessons, and if the Quintessons stop this rebellion, they would rule Cybertron in the present. Beta notes that A3 is missing, but that they must attack at dawn with or without him. The Autobots agree to help the slaves in their attack.
Back in 2006, the time window is leaking energy into space—ripples in the timestream. Rodimus refuses to shut the window down while five Autobots are stuck in the past. The Quintessons fear that if the window isn't closed in the next hour, the ripples will travel through the universe, jeopardizing reality itself—some events will repeat in an endless loop (such as Wheelie winning a race over and over) while some will reverse (such as water running backward in a lake) and worse, the past and future will collide—evidenced by Marissa Faireborn reverting to a baby—until the universe ceases to exist. The only solution, according to the Quintessons, is to destroy the time window. The scientist orders a full scale assault on the asteroid.
A3 has finally revived, but refuses to give information to "Quintesson slaves" like the Autobots. A3 and Rodimus take cover from Quintesson starbombs and an incoming Sharkticon offensive as the other Autobots begin defending the time portal. A3 is blasted away from the asteroid and tumbles through space before being saved by Superion, who is cornered by Quintesson ships. Under heavy fire and proclaiming his failure, Superion has a vision, seeing A3 turn into his future self—Alpha Trion! Suddenly, the ripples in the time stream cause Superion to briefly warp into two places at once, as space and time begin to warp and mutilate itself. The Quintessons retreat, fearing the results of the distortions. Rodimus orders Pipes to repair Perceptor, as he's the only one that can figure out what's going on. Silverbolt attempts to talk to A3, who isn't even sure who he is anymore.
Back in the past, the Autobots take part in the raid on Hive City, finding themselves and the slaves against several Dark Guardians, as in the present, the Quintesson scientist proposes an alliance—and for the time window be closed. The raid is apparently successful with the help of the Autobots, but a five-faced Quintesson demands surrender, as the Dark Guardians surround the rebellion.
Rodimus is finally convinced by the Quintesson to close the time window, but A3 volunteers to go through the time portal to retrieve the time-displaced Autobots, much to the Quintesson scientist's chagrin. A3 lands at the raid point to Beta's elation, as the Quintesson orders the Guardians to attack. A3 removes the golden Autobot symbol on his chest, which is the Coda Remote in disguise. A3 triggers the Remote, which disables the Dark Guardians, then orders the Autobots to return to the present, thanking them for their help. The Autobots return to 2006 just in time for Rodimus to close the time window, which self-destructs.
As the day is saved, the Autobots finally realize that A3 was Alpha Trion, as a constellation forms with his likeness.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Quotes
"So why'd ya-w-why'd ya want us along? This ain't-this ain't our gig-k-kinda gig!"
- —Ramhorn has a problem with scientific expeditions...and speaking coherently.
"How come they made you Aerialbot leader, Silverbolt? You've got no sense of adventure!"
"Exactly."
- —Air Raid gets put in his place by Silverbolt.
"What in the name of Alpha Trion?!"
- —Rodimus Prime, as A-3 comes through the time portal. See what they did there?
"Ohhhh! I don't know where we are but wherever it is it's somewhere but somewhere else would definitely be a better place to be!"
- —Blurr isn't too fond of ancient Cybertron.
Superion: I...have...failed you Rodimus...it is...finished.
A-3: No...Superion! ('transforming' into Alpha Trion) You must live...so that I may be born!
Superion: Alpha...Trion?
A-3: A...3...
Wreck-Gar: Phew. One to five rodents agree exceptional headache number one is a mad dog guardian.
Blaster: Right on, but we still gotta lure 'em away from the walls so Beta and the rebels can attack.
Blurr: Yeah, that's what we said we'd do, and I always do what I say I'll do, because I have to, so I'd better do it, because if we say we do and then we don't—
[Ramhorn roars and charges the Dark Guardians]
Rewind: Methinks the die has been cast.
- —The Autobots discuss strategy as Ramhorn gets bored.
"You will now put down your arms and return to work, or the Dark Guardians will incinerate you where you stand. Please decide quickly."
- —An ever-polite Quintesson gives the Autobots a simple choice.
"Your friends want you home. Go, now."
"Yeah, but—"
"No time for talk. We thank you for your help, but you must go at once."
"Okay. I guess we can trust you to win this one. After all, you already did."
- —A-3 and Blaster
Notes
Animation or technical glitches
- The Autobots are shown leaving Cybertron twice in a row.
- When the asteroid begins firing on the Autobots, Perceptor's reaction shot is shown twice in a row.
- Although the Autobots are seen flying toward the time window, which begins to fade in and out, they're never actually shown flying INTO the window.
- As Rodimus arrives to help the Autobots, Perceptor is flying with him. He's supposed to be unconscious on the asteroid at this point.
- As the Autobots come under attack from the guardian robot, Rewind points and his faceplate moves as if he's speaking, but he doesn't say anything.
- Rewind calls Beta by her name without her actually giving her name. (Then again, given his habit of endless amounts of trivia without any real use for it...)
- When Blaster ejects Rewind on ancient Cybertron, his tape door opens sideways.
- An abnormally huge Wheelie is shown racing Jazz.
- When the Quintesson bailiff instructs the Sharkticons to attack the Autobots, their background is deep space, but the Sharkticons then are shown exiting the Quintesson ship.
- Ramhorn rams a Dark Guardian and is somehow much larger than usual.
- The five-faced Quintesson in the past hovers on board a chair, but when a closeup is shown, the chair is not seen. When the view is restored, the chair is visible again.
- When A-3 returns to the past, the Autobots are standing in a completely different setting than when we last saw them. They're also no longer surrounded by Dark Guardians.
- The Autobot symbol on A-3's chest is suddenly a solid plate (including surrounding metal) when it is revealed as the Coda Remote, but looks no different from the regular Autobot symbol in previous shots (other than being golden).
Continuity errors
- This may not be an error but Rewind is the first to mention Beta by her name, despite her never actually introducing herself by name. She may have done so offscreen, but it's still a bit odd.
Real-world references
- Wreck-Gar gets a few digs in:
- "Golly, Mr. Wizard" is a reference to the famous children-oriented television science show, Watch Mr. Wizard (later Mr. Wizard's World).
- "We've come a long way, baby!" is a take on a Virginia Slims cigarette ad campaign of the 1970s.
- "Exceptional headache #1" is a take on an Excedrin ad campaign.
Transformers references
- This is one of the few episodes to not feature the Decepticons.
- So the Aerialbots save A3. To whom they would eventually bring Orion Pax, causing him to be rebuilt as Optimus Prime. War Dawn Who would eventually call for the Aerialbots to be built, prompting Alpha Trion to sacrifice his life to give life to the Aerialbots. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2 Who had saved his life 11 million years earlier. Or twenty years later. It all makes sense.
- Though one would think they would have recognized him from their previous excursion into the past.
Trivia
- The Quintesson scientist is named Inquirata in the script, but is unnamed in the episode proper.
- This is the second episode in a row to conclude with a constellation image of a character, as "Dark Awakening" ends with a star image Optimus Prime right after his apparent destruction.
Home video releases
- VHS
- 1993— The Biggest Ever Saturday Morning Picture Show (Tempo Video)
- 2000 — The Original Transformers — Volume 5: Return to Cybertron (Kid Rhino)
- Laserdisc
- 1999 — The Transformers: 2010 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
- DVD
- 2001 — The Transformers: 2010 — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
- 2003 — The Original Transformers — Season 3 Part 1 (Kid Rhino)
- 2003 — The Original Transformers — Season 3 Part 1: Vol. 2 (Kid Rhino)
- 2004 — Transformers — Season 3 and Season 4 (Metrodome)
- 2004 — Transformers — Collection 4: Series 3.1 (Madman Entertainment)
- 2006 — Transformers — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome)
- 2007 — The Transformers — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)
- 2008 — Transformers — Volume 07: Stagione Tre Parte Prima (Medianetwork Communication) — English and Italian audio.
- 2009 — Transformers — Season's Three & Four [sic] (Metrodome)
- 2009 — The Transformers — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment)
- 2009 — The Transformers — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)
- 2010 — The Transformers — Seasons Three & Four: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)
