War of the Dinobots
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 "For God's sake, I didn't eat your damn pudding!" | |||||||||
| "War of the Dinobots" | |||||||||
| Production code | #700-07 | ||||||||
| Production company | Sunbow Productions | ||||||||
| Airdate | November 27, 1984 | ||||||||
| Written by | Donald F. Glut | ||||||||
| Animation studio | Toei | ||||||||
| Continuity | Generation 1 cartoon continuity | ||||||||
Snarl and Swoop are added to the Dinobot roster... and just in time!
- German Generation 2 title: "Krieg der Dinobots" ("War of the Dinobots")
- Japanese title: 謎の巨大隕石 (Nazo no Kyodai Inseki, "The Mysterious Giant Meteorite")
Synopsis
An unidentified meteor is due to impact on Earth, and Chip Chase asks the Autobots to investigate. Fearing that its energy potential could be used by the Decepticons, Optimus Prime calls in the Dinobots for help.
At Decepticon headquarters, Megatron is watching video footage of the Dinobots and raging about how the dim-witted robots have defeated his warriors time and again. Megatron orders Soundwave to find their weaknesses.
After the meteor crash-lands, the Autobots take a sample back to their headquarters and leave the Dinobots to guard the crash site. Impressed that they are following orders, Prime decides to order Ratchet and Wheeljack to build two more Dinobots with Spike and Chip's help.
At the meteor site, Soundwave scans the Dinobots' brains while in hiding and reports back to Megatron. The Decepticon leader declares Grimlock is arrogant, Slag is violent, and Sludge is stupid. He vows to use those weaknesses against the Dinobots.
Megatron's forces arrive at the meteorite's location, and after the Dinobots trash the Seekers, Megatron comes forth and feigns humility. He wonders aloud why the Dinobots, as powerful as they are, follow a weaker leader such as Optimus Prime. Because of Megatron's powerful logic, Grimlock and the Dinobots are convinced to rebel against Prime, and the Decepticons take the meteorite.
At the Autobot base, Prime and Ratchet oversee construction of two new Dinobots: Snarl and Swoop. During this, Wheeljack discovers the meteorite's energy is highly unstable. Trailbreaker manages to encase the fragment in a force field just before it detonates. Fearing a huge explosion, Optimus Prime rushes out alone to warn the Dinobots.
At the base, Wheeljack has Snarl and Swoop do a test run of their powers. Bluestreak, Ironhide, Sideswipe and Prowl attempt to stop the new Dinobots, but get their cans soundly kicked.
Prime arrives at the crash site and is attacked by the Dinobots. Though Optimus puts up a good fight, the Autobot leader is unable to defeat the Dinobots by himself and is knocked out. However, Grimlock doesn't kill him or let the others hurt Prime further, a restraint that Prime attributes to their Autobot training. The Dinobots instead take Prime to the Decepticons.
At Autobot headquarters, Spike and Chip are concerned because Optimus hasn't reported in. Teletraan I alerts Wheeljack that the meteorite has been moved and is about ready to blow. Snarl and Swoop are sent to stop it.
While the Decepticons form energon cubes from the volatile meteorite energy, Starscream grows concerned by the meteorite's unstable nature. When Grimlock, Slag and Sludge arrive, Megatron is angered that they didn't kill Prime, but is soon distracted as the energon cubes detonate.
"yOu MiNe NoW..."
Swoop and Snarl arrive, and the two new Dinobots fight the old Dinobots to a standstill in a vicious battle. During the battle, the meteorite visibly destabilizes, and just before it explodes, Prime pushes Grimlock to safety.
Realizing that Prime is both strong and has concern for his troops, Grimlock orders the Dinobots to attack Megatron. The Decepticons retreat, and Grimlock asks for Prime's forgiveness as the other Autobots arrive. However, Optimus Prime merely declares that the meteorite menace is over and they should go home.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"Well, meteor or no meteor, Optimus Prime, it's great not worrying about the Decepticons for a change."
"I always worry about the Decepticons, Spike."
- —Spike Witwicky learns that Optimus Prime really needs a vacation.
"I’ve seen enough! My finest warriors defeated by those primitive, pea-brained beasts. Revolting!"
- —Megatron on the Decepticons' failure to defeat the Dinobots.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's always outrageous."
- —Chip Chase, wondering if they are truly truly outrageous.
Grimlock: "We destroy Optimus Prime!"
Slag: "And him, Grimlock, be new leader!"
Sludge: "Hail him, Grimlock!"
- —The Dinobots plan their coup.
"Great! I'm finally gonna get in a fight!"
- —Sideswipe, finally seeing some action after being largely ignored for several episodes.
"In a real fight, we'd've creamed 'em! ...mmm, maybe."
- —Bluestreak, after getting pummeled by the new Dinobots
"I do not want to fight you, but you leave me no choice."
- —Optimus Prime's warning to the Dinobots.
"You, Megatron, tricked us! Make us fight good leader, Optimus Prime. Prime risk own life to save us. Bad Megatron!"
"Decepticons, retreat now, quick, at once!"
- —Grimlock switches allegiances again and puts the fear of God into Megatron.
"Optimus Prime, can you forgive? Me Grimlock was jealous of you."
- —Grimlock, actually showing humility for once.
Notes
Animation or technical glitches
- During the scene in Decepticon headquarters when Megatron is watching footage of the Dinobots, there's a short line above and below his fist as if to make it appear to be shaking in anger. Perhaps a shortcut note for the animators that never got carried out?
- Reflector's center bot is missing his green coloration as he turns toward the deactivated viewscreen.
- As he acknowledges Megatron's order, Soundwave's visor splits into two separate eyes, then reforms. Throughout the shot, he's missing his eject button and waist belt control buttons.
- Soundwave is missing his yellow stripes as he lands in the city.
- Soundwave's cheek guards are blue instead of white as he edges toward the Autobots.
- In our first shot of the Dinobots, Slag's chest plate is red instead of white.
- Appearing / disappearing Autobots:
- Mirage is shown in the first shot of the Autobots awaiting the meteorite. Apparently, Hound should have been shown instead, as he replaces Mirage for the rest of the scene.
- Slag's head is miscolored (as it so frequently is):
- As Optimus prepares to blast off a fragment of the meteorite (gray).
- As he transforms to listen to Megatron, and again as he points out that Prime will resist Grimlock (white sides).
- As the Dinobots turn around after the first commercial break (starts red, turns gray).
- As Megatron humbly offers a strategy (red helmet, white face).
- As the three Dinobots form up to confront Optimus Prime (gray with red forehead).
- When the Dinobots investigate Prime's body after blasting him (gray with a red dot - he's a Hindu!).
- As Slag proposes melting down Optimus (white sides, red face, a combo that happens so frequently it might be an alternate color model.)
- As the Dinobots land at the new meteorite site (gray).
- In the shot after Grimlock shoots Starscream.
- At the beginning of the battle between old and new Dinobots, as Slag and Sludge transform to their dino mode (and again when this clip is replayed in reverse, minus Grimlock, after the meteorite exploded).
- When Spike "sees" the meteoroid, it's streaking across the sky as if heading somewhere else entirely, yet somehow it lands almost right on top of them.
- Grimlock and Sludge's heads are light gray instead of black after Prime blasts the meteorite fragment.
- Optimus blasts a fragment off of the meteor at night, transforms during the day (courtesy of a shot recycled, unaltered, from "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1"), leaves the scene around dawn, and drives off into the dead of night.
- In the first shot of the Dinobots guarding the meteorite, Slag's eyes are the same red as the rest of his face, and Sludge's helmet is largely white instead of black.
- As Megatron rants about the Dinobots' weakenesses, Soundwave is missing his insignia.
- As usual, the stock animation of the docking tower of Decepticon Headquarters emerging from the water makes it look like it's tilted about 30 degrees from vertical.
- As the Dinobots prepare to fend off the Decepticon attack, Slag's Autobot insignia is missing as he exults about getting to fight.
- After the Seekers' second pass over the Dinobots, two Thundercrackers fly over the Dinobots, both with wrongly-colored air intakes.
- Thundercracker still has blue air intakes in the diving shot after the Dinobots transform.
- As Megatron starts to talk down the Dinobots from fighting, Grimlock and Sludge's flame breath is layered behind Megatron, despite their being in the background.
- "You are stronger than all the Autobots!" Megatron's waist-sides are gray instead of red, and one of his buttons is blue instead of red.
- "Optimus Prime is leader now. He will fight if Grimlock lead!" - in addition to his miscolored helmet, Slag has somehow acquired Sludge's already inexplicable glowing orange mouth interior.
- An oddly edited shot has Sludge's face filling the frame, just as Slag answers Grimlock's question about liking to fight.
- Grimlock's hands are yellow as the Dinobots watch the Decepticons haul the meteorite off.
- The Ark is silver-gray instead of orange in the first establishing shot of Autobot Headquarters.
- No wonder Sparkplug is puzzled by the blueprints. They're labeled with a rather Engrishy title of "Out Line Plan Desge".
- As the Autobots are finalizing construction of Snarl and Swoop, Brawn (who is working on Swoop) is colored with a yellow back, a light blue side, and gray limbs.
- After his bizarre force field use, Trailbreaker is nowhere to be seen in Wheeljack's workshop.
- When Snarl first introduces himself, his chest is missing the Autobot insignia. When Swoop lands next to Snarl to make his introduction, Snarl's insignia is present.
- Bluestreak's center head crest is red instead of gray at two points during his fight with the Dinobots.
- As the Dinobots prepare to unleash their final attack on Optimus Prime, Grimlock's torso is colored gray instead of yellow.
- Sludge's helmet-sides are once again light gray as the Dinobots carry Optimus toward Megatron.
- As Grimlock tells Megatron that he'll terminate Optimus at his discretion, only the center of Grimlock's visor eyes was colored.
- When Grimlock fires Prime's rifle at Starscream, it gets the normal Autobot sound effect, instead of its own unique sound.
- Chip doesn't appear to be doing anything to roll his wheelchair as he and Sparkplug run through Autobot Headquarters.
- Only one of Wheeljack's "ears" flashes as he reports the meteorite's location.
- Improbable viewpoints:
- The meteorite is on-screen before Chip has asked Wheeljack to "get a fix on it".
- Teletraan then provides a ground shot of the valley (minus the Decepticons, Dinobots, energon cubes, etc.)
- Soundwave's visor is blue, and his forehead is visor-red, as he recoils from the about-to-explode energon cubes.
- As Grimlock transforms to start the battle, the end of Prime's rifle is colored gold, as if it were one of Grimlock's claws.
- Slag's horns are yellow instead of red as Swoop drops his tail.
- Optimus has a blue square around his neck as he runs to save Grimlock.
- Thundercracker is shown crashing alongside Megatron as the meteorite explodes. As TC hasn't been shown in this scene at all, and Starscream was last seen taking off alongside Megs, it probably should have been Starscream.
- Megatron's gun barrel is bigger than his head as he gets to his feet after the explosion.
Rhino DVD release
- When the Dinobots take Optimus to Megatron, Starscream is colored in Thundercracker's colors.
- When asking for forgiveness from Optimus, Grimlock's eyes are not colored.
Continuity errors
- Chip calls the Autobots, because "they're the only ones who can save the Earth". Despite being charged with this awesome responsibility, the Autobots don't actually do anything to ward off or contain the meteorite. It's okay, though, because its actual explosion isn't even enough to damage Optimus and Grimlock, who are maybe fifty feet away when it goes up.
- Optimus Prime is amazingly cavalier about blasting the supposedly dangerous, glowing, energy-laden meteorite with his laser rifle.
- In the long shot of the Autobots standing on the mountain about to test the new Dinobots, Optimus can be seen in the distance driving away from Autobot HQ, despite the implication that some time has passed since he left.
- Slag can be clearly seen wearing a jetpack on his back when the Dinobots leave to deliver Optimus Prime to Megatron, despite it being previously established that the Dinobots can fly without such equipment. The jet pack appears to be based on Skyfire, complete with a blue "cockpit", white body and red thruster modules!
Astronomical errors
- A meteor is a chunk of rock that's in the process of burning up in Earth's atmosphere, a process that rarely takes more than a few seconds. As Chip has plenty of time to observe the incoming projectile, it's clearly still a meteoroid, a chunk of rock that's just floating around in space.
- Despite this, the meteor(oid) is trailing a flaming tail, as if it were already entering Earth's atmosphere. To the writers' credit, Prime refers to it as a meteorite once it's landed.
- Assuming our first view of the meteor/oid is meant to represent what Chip sees (there is a barely-visible telescopic outline around it), the object would have to be huge to be so highly detailed in a distant view from Earth. Such a huge object would be catastrophic for humankind if it hit Earth.
- We later learn that the thing is only about 30 feet across, though, which makes it way too small to be such a regular round body.
- Chip's telescope is apparently so sophisticated it can pick up the sound of the meteorite from across the vacuum of space, including its jet engines.
- A celestial impactor on Earth typically leaves a crater about 10 times its own diameter and annihilates both itself and pretty much everything in a much larger radius around it. Our meteorite here smacks into the middle of an urban downtown area, remains completely intact, and leaves no damage more substantial than a flattened Quonset hut and a largeish pothole.
Continuity notes
- The footage of the Dinobots that the Decepticons watch doesn't match up with any scene from their previous appearance ("S.O.S. Dinobots"), implying that the Decepticons have had at least one more run-in with the Dinobots since then.
- Gadgets and powers:
- Prime can... make his fist crackle with energy??
- Soundwave can snake out a long tentacle-like listening bud, to cover whatever distances between him and his subject he can't cover.
- He can also (in accord with his bio) remotely mind-read other Transformers, this time by means of a little widget that pops out of his head with a doofy-sounding DOING! noise.
- The Seekers can deploy grappling claws at the end of long cables.
- Ironhide creates metal by spraying it out of his fingertips onto the floor.
- Prowl uses a laser fired from his retracted wrist to slice the metal into smaller pieces.
- This may be the most bizarre implementation of Trailbreaker's force field ever. To contain the meteorite fragment's explosion, he starts spinning, disappearing into a black blur. One might presume that this is done to invert the force field, keeping the damaging forces inside instead of outside. (Using this ability causes him to vanish from the animation!)
- Swoop can extend his robot arms in dino mode if he needs to give somebody a good shove.
- Huffer has evidently changed his tune about the Dinobots, as he helps build Snarl and Swoop in this episode.
- Snarl, in a rare move for a Dinobot, actually uses the word "I". All the others always say "me", with the exceptions of Sludge from "S.O.S. Dinobots", and that time Grimlock was a genius.
- The energon cube that Soundwave fills is a bit odd; after he creates it, it just floats in mid-air. He then fires his gun into the meteorite, which obligingly sends a stream of energy into the cube. How the heck does that work, exactly?
Real-world references
- Star Wars sound effects:
- Luke deflecting seeker ball bolts is repurposed as Slag powering up his horn lasers to fire on Optimus. A lightsaber ignition is used in the same sequence as Prime loses his laser rifle, followed by Darth and Ben Kenobi cutting into some machinery during their duel on the Death Star.
- Death Star firing/Alderaan exploding, + X-Wings diving, as the Dinobots take off to return to Megatron.
- Falcon engine burst as Snarl and Swoop take off from Autobot HQ.
Trivia
- Grimlock's head has been redesigned, though the old version still crops up in a few future episodes. However, the old design remained predominant in the comics all the way until Grimlock evolved into an Action Master in "Still Life!". The second head design would be used in all incarnations from then on.
- In an earlier draft of this episode's script, it was not Chip who discovered the meteorite, but an original character named Doctor Lynn Hyashi.
- This episode marks the only occasion in the entire series that a normally functioning Autobot willingly battles a normally functioning Optimus Prime ("Dark Awakening" and "The Return of Optimus Prime" don't count, as Prime was a zombie in the former and Rodimus was infected with the Hate Plague in the latter). The Dinobots have quite a bit of success, too...I know somebody who could have used some lessons from them.
- Seriously, Optimus Prime does not forgive Grimlock at all.
- This was one of the six episodes featured on the Revenge of the Fallen console game. However, it was erroneously named "War on the Dinobots".
Home video releases
- VHS
- 1985 — The Transformers — Volume 9: "War of the Dinobots" (Family Home Entertainment)
- 1997 — The Transformers — War of the Dinobots (Malofilm)
- Laserdisc
- 1994 — Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers — Convoy Set (Takara) — Japanese audio only.
- 1998 — The Transformers — Autobot Edition (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
- DVD
- 2001 — The Transformers — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
- 2002 — Transformers — Original Series: Volume One (Maverick Entertainment)
- 2002 — Transformers — Complete Original Series: Deluxe Edition (Maverick Entertainment)
- 2002 — The Original Transformers — First Season Collector's Edition (Kid Rhino)
- 2002 — The Original Transformers — Volume Two (Kid Rhino)
- 2003 — Transformers — Collection 1: Series 1 (Madman Entertainment)
- 2004 — Transformers — Season 1 (Metrodome)
- 2006 — Transformers — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome)
- 2007 — Classic Transformers — Series One: Part Two (Metrodome)
- 2007 — The Transformers — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)
- 2008 — Transformers — Volume 02: Stagione Uno Parte Seconda (Medianetwork Communication) — English and Italian audio.
- 2009 — Transformers — Season One (Metrodome)
- 2009 — The Transformers — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment)
- 2009 — The Transformers — The Complete First Season: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)
- 2009 — The Transformers — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)
