The Agenda (Part 1)
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 Hello, boys, I'm back! | ||||||
| "The Agenda" (Part 1) | ||||||
| Production company | Mainframe Entertainment | |||||
| Airdate | March 11, 1998 | |||||
| Written by | Bob Forward | |||||
| Directed by | Cal Shumiatcher | |||||
| Animation studio | Mainframe Entertainment | |||||
| Continuity | Beast Wars continuity | |||||
The Predacons of Cybertron send an agent to Earth to bring back Megatron and his band of criminals.
- French-Canadian title: Le Programme 1 ("The Program 1")
- Japanese title: たいほだにゃ (Taiho Da Nya, "Meyow're Under Arrest")
- Spanish title: El Agente (Parte 1)
- Latin-American title: El Programa Primera Parte
- Italian title: Il coraggio di Grifo - Parte 1 ("Silverbolt's courage - Part One")
- Brazilian name: Os Planos Parte 1 ("The Plans Part 1")
Synopsis
Rhinox tracks the transwarp wavefront released by the destruction of the alien Planet Buster, announcing it will arrive at Cybertron in a few hours and that the Maximals are going home soon.
Meanwhile, Megatron has made similar calculations and is less than pleased. Inferno reports that their attack on the early humans caused them to scatter, making their extinction an impossibility. Megatron decides to implement one final plan—a gamble, he notes, as his security cameras show Blackarachnia leaving the Predacon base.
Silverbolt flies to a secluded location where he meets up with Blackarachnia, delivering to her a graviton generator. He once again offers her a spot in the Maximal ranks. She refuses, telling him that she likes being a bad girl—and Silverbolt knows he likes it too. They embrace...
In another time and place, a Cybertronian outpost is violently rocked by the transwarp wavefront. The Tripredacus Council convenes, having traced the wavefront signature back to Megatron. They detonate a Cybertronian satellite to make sure the Maximal sensors don't detect the wave and send an operative to find and capture Megatron. Operating a special stealth-equipped transwarp cruiser, his orders are to "terminate with extreme prejudice."
Back at the Axalon, the Maximals get ready for Megatron's inevitable final attack on their base. Waspinator and Inferno ready some attack systems, but Rampage decides to take the more direct approach and assaults Sentinel's shields with his weapons. The battle begins and the Predacons appear to be winning until reinforcements come from above. Megatron orders a retreat and the invisible source of the Maximals' help lands.
The Axalon's hatch opens and Silverbolt's super doggie nose smells something. All the Maximals draw their weapons as two red lasers appear out of nowhere from the hatch. Optimus Primal finally realizes that their reinforcements came in the form of a Decepticon who after the Great War was granted amnesty and rebuilt as a Predacon.
Shots are fired, knocking all of the Maximals' weapons out of their hands. The mysterious assailant jumps into the bridge and reveals himself as Ravage. He apologizes for disarming them, saying that he was concerned that he might be attacked before he could explain himself. Rattrap appears to justify his caution, saying that the only thing worse than a Predacon is a Decepticon. Optimus Primal shoves Rattrap aside and orders him to shut up but does inform Ravage that they've been fighting Megatron for a while in a less than friendly manner. Ravage offers the apologies of the Predacon Alliance for Megatron's actions, insisting that the Alliance did not sanction them, and says that he is here to help neutralize Megatron. But he lies about the transwarp wave, saying that it was too weak for anything but the Predacon sensors to detect and that the reason he's alone is because they detected Megatron's energy signature only, hoping to settle this "quietly".
At the Predacon base, Blackarachnia finishes work on a flying stasis pod with Silverbolt's graviton generator. Her celebration is cut short, however, when Megatron calls for her. Megatron correctly anticipates a Maximal retaliation and sends everyone but Waspinator to fortify the base. Waspinator, he sends on a "special mission" which Blackarachnia takes note of.
Ravage's transwarp cruiser takes off from the Axalon with the Maximals onboard. Cheetor is still unsure about their plan, but Ravage notes that the ship provides several advantages (such as the ability to use Ravage's own cloaking ability) and Ravage observes that they have another one inside the Predacon base. This sets off alarms in Tarantulas' lair and he transforms and rolls out in the same direction as the cruiser. Ravage and the Maximals attack the Predacon base while Silverbolt ignores Optimus' orders to take down Blackarachnia, who takes off towards Waspinator's secret location.
Ravage begins firing upon the downed Predacon ship and Megatron orders his troops to keep fighting, but suddenly he is bound to his chair with energy rings as the base's power cuts out. Ravage, Optimus, Rattrap, and Rhinox walk in, and Ravage places Megatron under arrest. Are the Beast Wars over? To be continued!
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Maximals | Predacons |
|---|---|
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Quotes
"Oh man, you are gonna love it! I know this little place where you can get dirty mech fluid mixed with just a touch of radium. It'll take your head right off! And not only that... (looks at Cheetor, who is eagerly listening, and lowers his voice) Not only that, but the serving bots are walking around minus their torso plates, ya know what I mean?"
"Yes, obviously a veritable nexus of culture and refinement. How can I refuse."
- —Silverbolt on Rattrap's description of Cybertron's bar scene.
"Aw, forget him, Big R. You and I can go to the Six Lasers over Cybertron amusement park. There's the Space Slide and the Galaxy Coasters"—
"Kid! ...Don't make me hurt ya."
- —Cheetor and Rattrap show their ages once again.
Rattrap: So, uh, where ya' been, bird-dog?
Silverbolt: Uh, scout patrol...
Rattrap: Oh, yeah, yeah, scoutin' the enemy, yeah. ...Find any new positions?
- —Rattrap, proving that neither he nor the writers of Beast Wars are above cheap innuendos.
Rattrap: Now whadda we do?
Silverbolt: Well, given our proximity, I breathe through my mouth.
- —Silverbolt, picking up where Dinobot left off.
Cheetor: What do you think it is, Big Bot?
Optimus Primal: Not what...who. After the Great War, a few Decepticons were granted amnesty. Most have retired. But rumor has it that one was reprogrammed and rebuilt—as a Predacon!
- —Enter gratuitous G1 homage.
"Oh, for bootin' up cold, the only thing worse than a stinkin' Pred, is a stinkin' Decepticon!"
- —Rattrap about Ravage not using the front door
"In the name of the Pax Cybertronia and the Predacon Alliance, you are under arrest."
- —Ravage, upon apprehending Megatron
Notes
- In the opening shot, parts of Optimus Primal pre-transmetal fly at the screen.
- The Tripredacus Council shown at the beginning of the episode were meant to be the Tripredacus gestalt toy, and were even referred to by their individual names in the original script. However, time constraints prevented the renders for the figures from exactly matching the toys they were based on, so Hasbro asked that their individual names not be referred to, though the gestalt name was still used for the group.
- It's mentioned that the Axalon disappeared "last mega-cycle" which usually refers to a time period of around an hour. It may have meant to have been "deca-cycle".
Technical/Animation Glitches
- None noticed
Continuity Errors
- While the Maximals jump from Ravage's cruiser, the auto-guns have no effect on them whatsoever, while they've dropped them before easily.
Transformers References
- Ravage was one of the original cassette-robots to serve under Soundwave in the original cartoon and comics.
Real-World References
- Six Lasers Over Cybertron, which Cheetor gets excited about, is a reference to Six Flags over various states.
- Rattrap speaks of places in Cybertron where the servingbots walk around "minus their torso plates" and then does sort of a "wink wink, nudge nudge" toward Silverbolt. He's referencing strip clubs, of course.
- Cicadacon quotes from Apocalypse Now with "Terminate with extreme prejudice."
- "Rampage, position yourself in Subsector Hooks", spoken by Megatron, is a reference to fan Hooks.
- The three missiles Rampage fires at the Axalon to start the attack each bear a symbol: a classical model of the atom (a nuclear warhead?), a death's head poison symbol, and a peace sign, of all things.
- Ravage arrests Megatron in the name of the "Pax Cybertronia", a parallel to the Pax Romana.
Home video releases
- VHS
2000 — Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers: Metals — I'm a Crab! (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2001 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Volume 8 (Universal)
- DVD
2000 — Beast Wars: Transformers: Metals — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio.
2004 — Beast Wars: Transformers — The Complete Second Season (Rhinomation)
2004 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Vol. 1 (Universal)
2006 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Season 2 (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — The Transformers: Beast Wars — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)
