Crack (episode)
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 Is wack. | |||||||||
| Crack (Ketsui [Pride]) "Decision (Pride)" | |||||||||
| Production code | TF: A-37 | ||||||||
| Production company | TV Tokyo, NAS | ||||||||
| Airdate | May 10, 2003 (US) 19 September 2003 (Japan) | ||||||||
| Writer | Isao Shizuya | ||||||||
| Director | Shigenori Kurī | ||||||||
| Animation studio | Actas | ||||||||
| Continuity | Unicron Trilogy | ||||||||
Starscream must choose between the human friends he has made among the Autobots and his hunger to destroy Megatron. Betrayal and conspiracy are so addictive.
Synopsis
In a secret meeting, Sideways and Thrust plot how to get the Mini-Con weapons away from the Autobots. It's all very ominous.
On Earth, Starscream finds he doesn't feel very motivated to help the Autobots build their stupid spaceship. He feels it's a waste of time when they could be off killing Megatron instead of worrying about Mini-Cons. Optimus Prime explains to Hot Shot, who is exasperated with Starscream's apathy, that the Autobots should take this opportunity to try and understand what makes Autobots and Decepticons different, and learn how to work together; after all, an inability to make such a rapport is why the two factions have been fighting for so long.
Starscream, meanwhile, is quite shocked to find the human kids throwing him a surprise party. It was Alexis's idea, to thank him for the Mars rock he previously gave her. The kids present him with a crudely stitched but brightly colorful chamois, which they have made for him themselves and claim is for cleaning the Star Saber. Starscream explains to them that he has never received a present before, so he doesn't know how to react. When Jetfire arrives to assign Starscream to monitor duty, Starscream figures that if he just slacks off, someone else will do it; Alexis has to explain the notion of teamwork to him. Starscream storms off after her abortive lecture, claiming that he needs some peace and quiet.
As with most of what Starscream says and does, this is total bluster, and he does in fact end up doing his monitor duty as assigned. When a bizarre signal appears on the screens, he goes out to investigate its source. He finds Thrust, who tries to talk Starscream into rejoining the Decepticons so that the two of them can work against Megatron from within. Fred and Billy happen by just in time to hear Thrust mention that if Starscream were to bring the Skyboom Shield to Megatron, he might be welcomed back.
Back at the Autobot base, Starscream watches the Race Team—the Mini-Cons who combine to form the Skyboom—and broods.
Fred and Billy tell the Autobots about Thrust's appearance and how Starscream chased him away. Jetfire makes a crack about how Fred shouldn't consider Starscream a hero, which is, of course, the moment when Starscream walks in on the conversation. An awkward moment is shared by all. Smokescreen arrives shortly thereafter, reporting that the Race Team have disappeared. Billy and Fred remember that Thrust wanted them, which leads the Autobots—especially Smokescreen—to accuse Starscream of stealing them. Hot Shot tries to give Starscream a chance to explain himself, but the former Decepticon doesn't bother to defend himself; since the Autobots had already made up their minds that he is a traitor, he believes that trying to get along with the Autobots is a failed experiment.
The tense situation is interrupted by a Decepticon attack, which draws the Autobots out to fight. While his erstwhile comrades face the main Decepticon force, Starscream seeks out Thrust alone high in the clouds. Brandishing the Star Saber and his chamois, Starscream rebuffs Thrust's offer, claiming he would rather stay with 'bots he can trust. Thrust is still bent on convincing Starscream to work with him against Megatron.
Hot Shot, who had been chased into a forest by Tidal Wave, runs into Alexis, Carlos, Rad, and the Mini-Con Race Team. He learns that the kids had simply taken the Mini-Cons for a walk, without notifying anyone. Hot Shot realizes he was wrong to accuse Starscream, and asks the Mini-Cons to help him.
Meanwhile, Starscream is at a loss to explain to himself why he won't just kill Thrust and be done with the whole sorry affair. Thrust opines that working alongside the Autobots has caused him to go soft and forget his heritage.
On the ground, Smokescreen tosses the Skyboom Shield to Optimus, but Starscream intercepts it. Wielding both it and the Star Saber, Starscream rushes to meet with Thrust, letting the chamois fall back to Earth behind him. He wonders momentarily if he's doing the right thing, but he knows that he must go to any length to bring Megatron down. He knows that he will never forget the human kids, and in his heart he thanks them.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Mini-Cons | Misc |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Quotes
Red Alert: "Hey, enough chit-chat ladies, we got a job to do."
Hot Shot: "Ah- sorry Red Alert, but what about Starscream?"
Blurr, the jerk: "You mean Star-traitor, don't you?"
Starscream muses over the chamois the children have given him
Alexis: "Oh, don't you like it?"
Starscream: "Uh... no-no! I wouldn't say that. I mean it's very... colourful. It's just that I've never had anyone give me a present before."
Carlos: "You can't be serious! What about on your birthday? You never got nothing?"
Starscream: "Uh, so what does one do in a situation like this?"
Alexis: "Why don't you just try saying "thank you"?"
Starscream: "Thank you. Thank you... right?"
"Why now? Why... am I doubting myself?"
- —Starscream broods while training.
Fred: "Guys! We just saw a cone-headed Decepticon!"
Blurr: "You mean Thrust?"
Billy: "He was just outside our base."
Hot Shot: "What are we waiting for? C'mon, let's go get him!"
Side Swipe: "Yeah, baby!"
Fred: "Hang on a sec, Hot Shot. Starscream chased the creep away, already! Starscream is my hero."
Hot Shot: "You are one twisted kid."
"Hold your horses men! C'mon, let's not jump to any conclusions here. Starscream is on our side, don't you remember? And don't you forget, he's innocent unless he's proven guilty! Okay Starscream, help me out and explain what's up here, because if you don't... let's put it this way, you are so up the creek, and right now, you look pretty guilty."
"Guilty huh? I don't think it matters what I say, because you've already convicted me. But thanks for trying, Hot Shot."
"That is not true!"
"Please, let's face facts: I am much different than you. I was programmed as a Decepticon and I don't apologize for that. I've tried my best to understand the way you and the others think, but I must admit it was a failed experiment."
"No one said you did it, we just want to know the truth."
"But you can't handle the truth!"
- —Hot Shot, the world's worst defense attorney tries to get the truth out of Starscream, who pulls a Jack Nicholson.
"Have you made your decision?"
"I have, Thrust. I think I'll stay put here with bots I can trust."
- —Starscream answers Thrust's offer with a strange assertion, given the Autobots had earlier accused him of theft.
(Hot Shot shoots Tidal Wave in the eye with his axle-zooka)
"Alright! That's a bullseye—literally!"
- —Hot Shot being Hot Shot.
"The decision is yours: You can either become soft and forget your glorious heritage, or you can join me and should you decide the latter, it is only a matter of time until we drink from the cup of victory! You must choose... but I suggest you choose wisely."
Starscream angsts over his choices
"You childish blathering annoys me, Starscream. You are a Decepticon, now act like one!"
- —Thrust pulls Starscream further back into the dark side.
Starscream symbolically leaves behind the chamois the children made for him.
Starscream: (thinking) "I don't know if this is the right choice, but I have made my decision."
Thrust: "Well? What is it?"
Starscream: "I must do everything there is in my power to bring Megatron down, and I swear I will crush him personally.... Goodbye kids. And thanks, I'll never forget you."
Hot Shot: "I can't believe this... Starscream... why, Starscream, WHY?!?"
Notes
Differences with Micron Legend
Lost in translation
- Rad's line (in response to Starscream leaving the party) "What's his problem? He sure is self-centered!" doesn't appear to jibe with the animation of he and Carlos smiling happily. Additionally, Starscream claiming to leave for some "peace and quiet" doesn't work with the next scene, which shows him indeed dutifully following Jetfire's order of performing monitor duty.
- After the Autobots learn that Starscream "drove off" Thrust from Billy and Fred, Blurr's appreciative line is delivered in a rather hostile, accusatory tone by voice actor Brian Drummond. Then again, Blurr is kind of a jerk.
Animation and/or technical glitches
- Starscream's wings vanish during the second scene, when he walks away from the rest of the Autobots.
- When Starscream and Thrust meet, Starscream makes hand motions like he's drawing his sword and using it, but there's nothing in his hand. A few shots later, he's actually holding his sword.
- During Thrust and Starscream's meeting in the woods, after Thrust disappears and reappears, he is layered behind the treeline, making him enormous.
- After meeting Thrust, Starscream lets out his frustrations by practicing his swordplay. During a close up of the tip of his blade, it is incorrectly drawn as the distinctive Runway-shaped tip of the Star Saber.
- Smokescreen is still referred to as such in his new "Hoist" body, likely due to the fact the character was still referred to as "Grap" (his Japanese name) on both bodies in the original Japanese scripts.
- Demolishor's purple Decepticon lasers that he fires at Jetfire become red Autobot lasers as they fly towards the Autobot.
Continuity errors
- Hot Shot instructs the kids to powerlink with the Skyboom Shield. This is likely some kind of error since . . . kids don't powerlink.
- After being punched in the face by Starscream, Thrust falls over and lands with a thud. It's usually impossible to land on a cloud and generally impossible to make a "thud" with them.
Real-world references
- The line "You can't handle the truth" is from the movie A Few Good Men. Moments after delivering the line, Starscream isn't wearing a necktie.
Transformers references
- Thrust is referred to by Fred as a "cone-headed Decepticon", a possible reference to the fan term for the Generation 1 jets Ramjet, Dirge and of course, Thrust.
Miscellaneous trivia
- The intro sequence for this episode does not feature a narration by Rad or the regular series narrator Jim Conrad.
- Starscream calls Thrust a "pathetic snake", which is an amusing coincidence as Thrust's voice actor, Colin Murdoch, previous played the cobra-headed Quickstrike on Beast Wars.
- As the main focus of this episode is on Starscream's angst and eventual betrayal, the battle between the Autobots and the other Decepticons is left unresolved.
Home video releases
- DVD
- 2004 — Transformers: Micron Legend — Volume 10 (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
- 2006 — Transformers: Armada — Season One: Part Two (Kid Rhino)
- 2009 — Transformers: Armada — Volume Two (KSMFilm) — English and German audio.
